Equilibrium
by TwiWritingsP
Summary: Edward Cullen is young, intelligent, cocky. He's comfortable with the life he's leading until Bella Swan shows up and begins to rock his world. Can he accept her for what she is? His equal? Rated M for sexy times and underage intoxication.
1. Chapter 1 Boredom

**EPOV**

_Collateral. _

The word ricocheted around my head, threatening to liquefy my brain cells against the walls of my skull.

This was not good. This was un-good. Bad? Bad. That's the word. This was _bad_. This was very bad. Very, _very_ bad.

She looked up at me, her big brown eyes gleaming with excitement and lust and power and fuck me I was ready to get on my knees and beg and be at her mercy and obey her every command. I just want to eat her, all of her, absorb every last drop of her; I wanted to feel her soul swimming around inside of my body, invading and destroying every empty part of me.

My mind fought to regain control as my body betrayed me, and I felt myself going unbelievably and outrageously hard in her tiny hands.

She yanked on my dick roughly as she licked her lips, a wicked smile crossing her face.

I felt my breathing stagger, and my eyes rolled back into my head.

I was oh so very fucked.

THREE MONTHS EARLIER.

"Screw you, Edward. I've got my priorities in order," Alice stuck her tongue out at me and danced away when I tried to catch her. I gave in easily, collapsing on my back on my bed.

"Like shit you do. Let's see, Alice's daily to-do: Fuck Jasper. Dance. Stick out tongue. Fuck Jasper. Shop. Fuck Jasper. Get piss drunk. And let's not forget, fuck Jasper."

She sighed, half irritated, half excited at the words 'fuck' and 'Jasper' being strung together repeatedly.

"Look, I know I have an exciting sex life and you don't, but really, try not to be so envious. It's unbecoming," she giggled.

I raised an eyebrow and leaned back lazily on my elbows, rolling my eyes back into my head and letting my head fall back. "Shit, you're right. I'm jealous. God, Whitlock. The things I'd like to do to him." I closed my eyes and sighed dreamily, running one hand across my stomach and the other up to my hair. "Mmmm. I want to run my hands right through that sandy-ass mop and bend him over and fuck the hell—" she halted my then by jumping on me and pummeling me with her itty bitty hands.

"Knock!" hit "It!" hit "Off!" hit.

I laughed and caught her wrists easily, pulling her off of me. She sat next to me and huffed, arms crossed against her chest. Her short black hair was in disarray from the attack, and I put up a hand to get it out of her eyes, but she smacked it away.

I loved her fury, it was so endearing. As if this small, pixie of a woman could ever be intimidating. Not to me, at least.

Jasper, on the other hand… he was so wrapped I sometimes wondered if she had his balls hidden away somewhere, and that he remained with her primarily in the hopes of one day getting them back.

Well, no. That's a lie. We all knew adored her endlessly.

Alice sighed again while she drew her crossed legs up to her chest. "Edward, you're getting moody again. I wont have you locking yourself in this room for an extended period of time again. I don't want… what happened before. You need to go out more." She gazed at me curiously. "If you could have anything, right now, what would it be?"

Shit. Right now. Anything I wanted? I wanted some head. Some foreplay. A beautiful and willing girl bending over in stilettos, biting her lip and begging me to fuck her.

I wanted my cousin the fuck out of my room so that I could be alone with Miss Jameson and her delightful displays of hedonism. Because that was the closest I could get right now.

I hadn't been laid in a very long time, and the ache in my groin grew worse every day.

It was beginning to make me irritable, and I by no means meant to take it out on Alice or anyone else, for that matter. But Forks was old. And I was bored. Bad things tended to happen when I was bored.

But Forks—old. The girls here? Old.

I was tired of fucking Lauren. I did not enjoy the prospect of possibly getting picked up for rape just because her dumbass had to be shitfaced to get wet.

I was tired of fucking Tanya, whose fake ass tits only looked and felt good that first time… _before_ I saw the way they rippled when we fucked missionary.

I was tired of fucking Victoria, because… well, some redheads are so fucking hot you want to bang them… and the rest you just want to choke the shit out of. She had morphed from the former to that latter very quickly once she started talking about us having a future. It was easy enough to tune that shit out the first time, but it gets old fast.

I was tired of fucking Jessica, with her bullshit baggage and sob stories about how no guys would stay with her because everyone thought she was such a slut.. The only thing her mouth needed to be moving on was my dick.

She truly did suck like a Hoover.

I briefly considered ringing her up and asking her to join me for an hour or so, but was smart enough to come up with a better solution.

"Leave. Now." I hadn't meant to sound so rude, but I needed to get comfortable with myself for a bit.

Okay, so it was only marginally better, but my hand didn't whine the way Jessica did.

Alice tilted her head to the side and squinted, knowingly. "Jesus Christ, at least get another fuck buddy. You're fucking up the shower rotations with your sessions," I rolled my eyes, and she slapped me playfully, "and I will not have that for much longer. Find a hole. Put your dick in it. For all our sakes."

She laughed then, and pranced out of the room, slamming the door shut quickly when I blindly threw the first thing I could reach toward her retreating head.

I would have laughed with her if her comments weren't directed at me. Alice had a sailor's mouth sometimes when Jasper wasn't around. She was right, though. I needed to get some.

I began going through my cell to find someone reasonable, but my face fell in dismay when I looked up and noticed that what I had thrown was an Erik Satie compilation done by the London Philharmonic.

Note to self: steal one of Alice's cd cases to replace that one.

*****

I walked into the upstairs "theater" room, shirtless and freshly clean from my shower.

Alice glanced briefly at me with mock disgust before settling herself into Jasper's lap. I nodded to him and he smiled lazily, raising a flask to me in toast.

I couldn't help but smirk back. Jasper was one cool motherfucker. He had always been cool.

His first day in Forks he had walked in wearing cowboy boots and a hat that would've made Tim McGraw cry with jealousy. He had sauntered right up to the teacher, taken her hand and kissed it, then drawled lazily (as he always did), "Howdy, ma'am. I expect I'll be sittin' in that vacant seat right over there, yeah?" He winked at her, and she stared at him in shock, merely nodding before remembering to ask him to remove his hat.

I'm fairly sure she got turned on, which was funny; we were nine at the time.

I walked slowly to the couch where Rosalie, Jasper's twin sister, was perched, filing her nails. She looked up at me through dark lashes and her lips twitched ever so slightly at the sight of my naked stomach and chest. She held up a pretty manicured hand and I took it, placing a kiss gently on it while maintaining eye contact.

She then placed her hand on my chest and shoved me down next to her.

"We're not watching something perverse or brooding this time, Edward. You make me watch one more depressing movie and I will fucking castrate you." She smiled sweetly at me and I pretended to be offended.

She was dangerous, and seductive, and sex on legs.

It was amazing that I didn't feel the urge to fuck her into oblivion. Or, God forbid, touch her. That ship came and went in sixth grade, during our one and only kiss.

She was fine, though. She had a dick to suck.

Right on cue, Emmett came barreling in the door, swinging a grocery bag to and fro. He knocked fists with Jasper before practically landing on top of me in his rush to be near Rosalie. She let out a low 'mmmmm' as he wrapped his arms around her and crushed her mouth with his own. He leaned back long enough to throw the bag in my lap and say, "Cullen, my man, drinks," before returning to her. I slid off the couch onto the floor, carefully bringing the contents out of the bag and onto the coffee table in front of me.

Vodka. Sprite. Cranberry juice. Coconut fucking rum.

"The hell, McCarty, you buy only for the girls this evening?" Emmett waved a middle finger at me and mumbled something about 'fuck off' before pursuing Rose's mouth once again. Jasper sat up expectantly, realizing suddenly that there was more liquor in the room.

"Tell me there's some Jack. There is, yeah?" A grin swept his face when I pulled the bottle of Jack from the bag, and he squeezed Alice's face triumphantly while he kissed her. Alice smiled, hopped up from him and plopped down next to me.

"Edward, will you get some cups? I'll play barkeep tonight, if you don't mind."

I stood up fluidly and chuckled when I caught Jasper's expression. His face had become suddenly lovesick when Alice had abandoned his lap, and he began nursing his flask.

He grinned at me, all ready buzzed, and made a lewd gesture with his hands and mouth while I proceeded to the small liquor cabinet at the back of the room.

I pulled five cups from the top of the cabinet, along with a long teaspoon from the drawer. I looked around the inside until I spotted the grenadine, grabbing it just before Alice called to me to bring that, too. The ladies loved their grenadine, they did.

"What shall we watch tonight, then?" I asked as I handed Alice everything.

"I don't care," she replied vaguely. She had suddenly become very focused on her task, and was gazing intensely at the various drinks as though they were an experiment. Which, in her mind, I'm sure they were.

"Jasper?"

Jasper looked at me, his head laid on his shoulder. "Well, I expect it should be something the ladies here can enjoy. As Rose has all ready pointed out, these last few times we've made with the ultra violence and bizarre sensuality. Much as I love the sensual and bizarre, I don't think women should be subjected to that , least not as often as they are 'round here."

Emmett managed to remove himself from Rosalie to stare at Jasper with mock shock.

"Jasper, you weird ass motherfucker, these ladies can handle violence. And sex. Can't you, Rosie?" He waggled his eyebrows at her, and Rose glared at him in warning, but he continued on. "She likes it rough. She likes being spanked and having her hair pulled—" Jasper's flask suddenly collided with Emmett's jaw and I stepped between them before I'd have to really intervene.

"You shut the fuck up, McCarty," Jasper growled. "That's my goddamn sister. You can put your dirty paws on her all you'd like, so longs I don't have to bear witness, but I'll be damned if I have to hear the details again. I don't need that kind of visual, thank you."

"Jazz…" Alice looked up at him, and his face instantly calmed. He smiled a small smile at her before turning a fierce gaze to Emmett once again.

Rosalie kissed Emmett's jaw, but gave him a reproachful look. He glared at Jasper for a moment before folding and laughing heartily. "Aw, I'm sorry. I can't help it. I just meant my baby's a strong woman, she can handle some violence."

Jasper seemed to consider this briefly, then nodded curtly at Emmett before finally noticing I was standing between them.

"Move, Cullen, I'm not gonna make an attack. Sit your ass down and hand me a glass."

I had to chuckle, once again, at Jasper's drawl. It always made me laugh, the fact that he'd managed to hold onto his accent while Rosalie had so quickly abandoned hers.

When they'd first moved here from Texas, her accent had been just as thick as his. She had given it up fast to fit in, though, while Jasper clung tightly to his. He knew it made him unique. Rose didn't want to be unique; she wanted to fit in. Even in fourth grade, though, she didn't really _need_ to fit in. She was just as beautiful and captivating then as she is now, and had no trouble getting attention.

She'd given up the notion to fit in once she'd met Alice in fifth grade. They formed a fast bond, one that was unbreakable and all sisterhood of the traveling pants and shit.

I sat down, glancing from Jasper, who was now frowning and picking at his nails with a small knife, to Rosalie, who was staring lustfully into Emmett's eyes.

To anyone on the outside, it was hard to see the relation between the Jasper and Rose. Aside from their nearly shared height (Rosalie is 5'10," Jasper, 6'1"), blonde hair and hazy blue eyes, they were drastically different people. Rose was an ice princess most of the time, especially to anyone on the outside, while Jasper was warm and inviting to anyone that wanted his time. For as much of an outsider as he was, he was regarded very highly by the population of Fork's High, mostly because he was just so fucking_ cool._

Differences aside, however, they shared a bond that no one except the people in our group understood. They loved each other immensely, and were fiercely protective of each other. Alice and I were much the same, and I was glad that Alice and Rose were such good friends. Every other girl that had attempted to get close to Jasper had fallen victim to Rosalie's wrath. The same happened with every guy that tried to get Rosalie.

I should know. I had a black eye for weeks after that kiss in sixth grade. Jasper found out that I'd felt her up and went all Rambo on my ass, even though—or perhaps _because_—we were best friends and everyone knew his sister was desirable, even then.

Fucker.

I think the only reason he didn't kill Emmett was that he saw the positive effects he had on her. She smiled more, was a little nicer to outsiders.

She was less of a bitch all around, actually.

I scrunched my forehead at Alice, who had a mask of intense concentration on now. She was pouring Jack and the rum into a glass, trying to find a winning balance between the two.

Somehow, I couldn't see her finding a way to make it pleasant.

Rosalie looked up at me with a blank expression. "Something funny. And don't be a douche and pick Clockwork Orange, because that shit is _not_ funny," she concluded vehemently.

Yeah. Less of a bitch though she may be, she was still a bitch.

"Anchorman?" It was the first thing I could think of, and one of the few comedies I genuinely enjoyed.

Her face narrowed in distaste, but when Emmett's face lit up and he shouted, "Hell yes!" she rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Smelly pirate hooker," Jasper slurred, grinning, to no one in particular.


	2. Chapter 2 Bella Needs a Boy

**BPOV**

First day. New school. Joy of joys.

To say I wasn't excited was the understatement of forever. I was actually pretty pissed. I had had to leave everything in Phoenix… Every_one._ I kicked my dresser fitfully, refusing to be smart about my anger.

"The dresser has done nothing to you, Bella. Why must you hurt it so?" I pondered to myself out loud.

I turned to look at myself in the mirror on the back of my door. I looked good. I'm no Megan Fox, but I'm decent enough. I've got great tits, a tight ass and sultry dark eyes. Truth be told, my curves are hotter than Megan's. Fuck her.

Swans are beautiful, and full of grace. Foxes… well, they end up friendless and alone.

I figured—no, I _knew—_I looked good enough to capture the drooling mouth of some reasonable looking boy. And that mouth, in turn, could help me forget my current situation. I grinned my sweetest smile, and batted my lashes at my reflection. My smile turned into an ugly grimace as I realized the futility of flirting with myself.

As much as I turned myself on, it never felt as good when _I_ touched me as when someone _else_ did.

I gave my hair a good fluff, giving it that sex-hair look, and reached down to pick up my bag and books.

First day. New school. Joy of joys.

****

Upon arriving, I found a parking place quickly, opting to stay as close to the exit of the school's drive as possible. My beat up truck was like a homing beacon, and I saw several eyes looking in my direction curiously.

_Thanks again, Charlie._

The truck had been a "gift" from my father upon my arrival. He knew I would not be thrilled at the idea of riding to school in his cruiser. Hell, he even knew that being the police chief's daughter wasn't the most prestigious position around. Charlie was honest with himself, usually. And for that, I adored him. I also secretly adored my truck, but no one needed to know that. At least, not until I established myself with them enough to make them realize I would kill them if ever they insulted anything that was mine.

I stepped out of the truck gingerly, running one hand through my hair. I looked up into the darkening sky. You would've thought night was getting ready to descend, with how dark it was getting.

That was Forks. Rainy. Gloomy. Dark.

I held my head with confidence as I walked slowly through the parking lot. I was a bit of a klutz, truth be told, and I really _really_ didn't need to trip and set up a reputation for myself before I had even spoken to anyone.

Suddenly, I felt someone close to me. Too close. I turned carefully, and found myself staring in the eyes of a pretty, blue-eyed, blond boy. He was cute, in the adorable, generic sort of way. _Bingo_. I narrowed my eyes, smiling inwardly. I looked down at his mouth, seeing with satisfaction that he had a pretty decent smile. He was also practically foaming, the way he was eyeing me. He'd do.

"May I help you?" I tried to keep the smugness out of my voice, but failed.

"Bella, right?" he grinned when I raised an eyebrow, and continued on. "Mike," he extended a hand, which I stared at briefly before shaking. I wasn't used to shaking hands. "The schools been buzzing about your arrival. Bella, would you like me to show you around?"

I smiled my sweet smile from earlier this morning at him, and his eyes lit up. "Sure," I purred at him, then turned and started forward, making sure that he would get a good peek at exactly what I was working with.

"So, Mike," I started when he was next to me again. "I have to find the office to get my schedule."

Mike smiled at me, and waved forward. "That's where we're headed." His body began to move closer to mine, and his voice lowered slightly. "Although I was sort of hoping you'd request to be taken elsewh—" he stopped when someone bumped into him—hard. Mike, in turn, bumped into me, causing me to drop the few books I held in my hands.

"Watch it, Newton," a large boy—man, I corrected myself—boomed, staring down at Mike. Mike stiffened and shot him a glare, while I felt my body react in a very different way.

He was gorgeous. Tall, with short, dark curly hair. He had deep brown eyes, and a cute mouth. He was muscular, and I instantly wanted to know what it felt like to grab his arms, until I looked down and saw his huge hands. I bit my lip and stared unashamedly up at his face. _Fuck Mike_, I thought. _This guy could help me forget my own name. _The big guy grinned at me, dimples appearing on both cheeks, and I felt my knees go slightly weak. Fuck me, he was hot.

"Why, hello. You must be the new girl. Name's Emmett," he looked down at my books and glared at Mike. "Michael, how dare you make this pretty girl drop her books." He bent down to pick them up for me, and I felt my gaze grow more intense. He straightened up, his eyes roaming slowly up my body as he handed my books back to me.

"Thank you," I breathed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mike twitch.

"You are most welcome. What's your name?" his voice vibrated through me, it was so loud.

"Bella," I smiled darkly up at him. He grinned at me in return, extending an arm.

"Well, Bella, I was just on my way to the office. Would you care to join me?"

I looked at Mike, giving him what I hoped was an apologetic look. He looked away, angry, before rolling his eyes.

"Later, Bella," he sulked as he walked in the opposite direction.

I smiled up at Emmett again, and took his arm. The muscles felt much better than I imagined, and I felt a slow heat creeping into my jeans.

As we walked to the office, Emmett pointed out things he felt were important. Things like the garbage can Mike was canned in the first day of freshman year. Or the locker where Yorkie—whoever he was—slipped and nearly cracked his skull. I quickly realized that Emmett was not the brightest crayon, but his smile and body were oh so fucking redeeming when it came to his meat-headed and apparent love of violence.

When we arrived at the office, he held the door and ushered me in ahead of him. "After you." I felt his eyes on me, so I put a little bounce into my step, wiggling my ass _just so_. Once we were both in, he turned his attention to the frumpy woman in the chair ahead of us. She straightened up immediately when she saw him, patting her hair with large hands. Emmett grinned and winked at me, before walking lazily over to her desk.

"Ms. Cope, you look lovely today," he continued to grin as he leaned on her desk. She giggled and I rolled my eyes.

"Is that a new perfume? Because it rocks. Smells like—" he sniffed the air, and I couldn't help but think of a puppy sniffing for food. "Smells like cookies," he concluded with a huge smile, dimples in full effect.

"Oh, Emmett, you're so funny!" She wheezed, and I stiffened in embarrassment for her. Emmett reached behind himself, extending a huge hand toward me. I wanted to trip and let one of my breasts fall into it, but realized that, sadly, that would be very unbecoming of me. Instead, I placed my own tiny hand into his, relishing the way it was enveloped by him. He pulled me up next to him, placing my hand on the desk. The Cope woman's eyes narrowed slightly at me before returning to Emmett's face.

"Ms. Cope, this is Bella. She's new. Needs her schedule."

"Oh, yes, of course. Hello, _Isabella_. We've been expecting you." I tried not to roll my eyes at her, attempting a smile instead. It came out more of a grimace, but what could be expected? I wasn't going to put up with this chick's bullshit just because she thought she was Mrs. Robinson.

She began searching through a pile of folders on her desk, glancing up at Emmett through her stubby lashes. "Emmett, dear, what can I do for _you_?"

Emmett laughed, dropping his voice to what I assume is the closest he could get to a whisper. "Rosalie will be a bit late today. She… has… uh… an appointment. Can we get her excused?" Her face fell significantly, and I watched her work to get it back together.

My brain registered very quickly that he had just said another girl's name. And that Cope was disappointed by the mention of this girl. _Damn. Of course he's taken._ My disappointment threatened to creep onto my face, but I managed to hold it back.

I smiled wanly at the woman as she handed me my schedule without looking at me, and grinned full on at Emmett, who waggled his eyebrows at me while pointing at Cope, who wasn't paying attention to either of us. He yanked the schedule from my hands as she began writing on a blue excuse note.

"Hey! We have…" his eyes scanned the paper, and I briefly wondered if it hurt his brain to read. _That's nice, Bella. _I cringed inwardly at my rude assumption.

Emmett looked up then, triumphant. "We've got math together! Nice. You any good?" I shook my head, a sheepish smile on my face. His smile widened, causing his eyes to crinkle in the most adorable way. "Good. Me either. You can be my doodle buddy. I'll save you a seat, k?"

_Doodle buddy? How bout fuck buddy, instead? I fuck better than I doodle…_

"Thanks, Emmett," I could only grin in response as I collected my schedule from him and started moving towards the door. _Too bad he's taken… I wonder if he's the faithful type…_ I mentally kicked myself. No. I could _not_ be that girl again. Not after what happened with Justin in Phoenix.

"No prob, Bells. Mind if I call you Bells?" I shook my head, loving this guy more every second. "Good. See you later."

I nodded in response, smiling as I made my way out of the office, knowing that he was eyeing my ass. I caught the beginning of his next flirtations with Cope as the door closed behind me.

"Thanks again, Ms. Cope. That sweater is really nice…"

****

_I need this release, I need it, I need it from someone. I have to forget where I am. I have to forget why I'm here._

I repeated this mantra in my head as the day went by.

My morning classes were uneventful, save for the boys that gawked and a few girls that gave me dirty looks in the halls. I tended to have that effect on girlfriends. I smiled as I walked to math, remembering Justin. Mmmm… Justin…

I walked in the door, my smile growing when I found Emmett, towards the back of the room, glaring at an acne ridden boy.

"Look, Yorkie, seat's taken. Move your ass along." He looked up at me then, and his glare melted into that dimpled smile I was all ready in love with. "Bells!" I felt myself blush slightly as the few people all ready in the room turned to stare at me. "Bells, this spots for _you_." He patted the desk next to him and glared again at Yorkie, who had scampered across the room. I sat down quickly, dropping my books on the desk and my bag on the floor. I smiled at him, and he stared momentarily at my breasts before grinning ridiculously back at me.

Just then, a teacher came in, followed by several more students. One of them I recognized as Jessica somethingorother, and I smiled shyly and waved at her. I had to at least appear to like her, I figured. She did the same, then sat on the other side of me.

"Finding your classes okay?" She asked, her voice full of apprehension.

"Yeah, I'm doing all right. Thanks for the help this morning, by the way. For a minute I thought Mike was going to move from verbal molestation to physical."

I really didn't mind being molested… I just wanted it to be someone more worthy than Mike. Emmett, for example… Jessica's face flitted with something—_jealousy_, I realized suddenly—before she smiled again. "Of course, it was no—"

"Newton giving you problems again, Bells?" Emmett interrupted. I shook my head, laughing softly. Emmett's face went from serious to smiling when I laughed, and his laughter boomed along with mine.

"Class, please settle down," the teacher suddenly begged as the bell rang. He looked pointedly at Emmett, who saluted him, then pretended to zip his lips.

As soon as the lesson started, Emmett opened a notebook and began doodling. When I tried to look, he shook his head at me and covered it with his massive arm before going back to it. I shrugged and went back to trying to pay attention.

About fifteen or so minutes later, while I was comparing notes with Jessica, Emmett slid his notebook onto my desk, a satisfied smirk on his face. I looked down and tried with all my might not to burst out in hysterics. Jessica glanced at the notebook then turned her head back to the front, blushing a deep shade of crimson.

Emmett's doodle was… very… naughty. To say the least. It might have been disturbing, were it not so hilarious.

In the drawing, the Yorkie fellow was on his knees with a look of confusion and disappointment. His index finger and thumb wrapped around what appeared to be Mike's tiny dick. It was embarrassingly miniscule. Mike had what looked like cum-face, and I marveled briefly at how amazing the detail of the drawing was.

There was a small caption under it that read: WHERE'S THE BEEF?

The doodle was truly magnificent, and I grinned at Emmett, convulsing with quiet laughter.

He pointed at me then, mouthing the words "your turn," before pulling my own notebook out from under his and continuing my notes for me. I thought for a moment of what I could possibly draw to top that. I realized my doodle wouldn't be nearly as great as his, but that he probably wouldn't care, as he was elbowing me and looking at me with expectant eyes. Finally, I started to draw on the page, and he stopped messing with me.

When I was finished, I had to stifle more laughter. It was ridiculously bad, and I had to label who the people were, but I was sure he'd get the point. I shoved it in his direction, yanking my notebook back from him. I watched his reaction from the corner of my eye, hoping he wouldn't be disappointed in my obvious lack of artistic talent.

He stared at it with narrowed eyes for a second; no doubt he was trying to figure out who I'd been trying to draw. He read the labels and shook with silent laughter when he finally figured out what was going on in it.

I had drawn a (very bad, terrible, scribbly) version of Cope, on her knees. In front of her I had drawn a muscled statue similar to David, though not nearly as beautiful. It had dimpled cheeks, and an arrow pointing to it that said "Emmett." Cope was reaching up to remove the large leaf from his crotch, drool moving down the side of her cheek. A little poof was next to her head that read "WHEEZE," and a small thought bubble above her read, "Oh, Emmett, just a taste, just one little bitty teeny tiny wittle taste…"

Not the most original thing, I know. But Emmett seemed to get a kick out of it. He silent chuckles became actual ones as he smirked and pointed at the leaf, agreeing with the size I had made it. The teacher turned to glare at him when his fist smacked down onto the table.

Emmett shut up, then wrote on the paper before handing it back to me.

'BELLS, THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP.'

I smiled at him, agreeing whole-heartedly.

'Yes, Emmett,' I wrote back. 'I really think it is.'

The rest of the period continued this way, until the bell rang and it was time for lunch. Emmett offered for me to eat with him and his friends, but I declined when I remembered I wanted to stop in and see the library.

And that his girlfriend would be there.

He seemed disappointed, but grinned in spite of himself and told me I'd better have some killer doodles ready for tomorrow.

I promised him I would, then went to spend my lunch in the library. I could only hope it would have something decent. Or inspiring. I mean really, how many dirty doodles can one do before they run out of ideas?


	3. Chapter 3 Introductions

**EPOV**

Lunch was a bore, as usual.

Alice jabbered on about our plans for the weekend while Jasper constructed a fort of sorts out of his fish sticks and mashed potatoes, eventually stealing a couple of carrots from me.

I looked at him questioningly. "Cannons," he said, as though it should've been common knowledge. Cannons. I nodded. Of course.

Rosalie was nodding along with Alice, talking about bathing suits and whether it'd be necessary to bring wet suits, when Emmett came up, his tray overloaded with food. The man ate like he was 8 months along and packing twins.

"Hey, baby," he boomed down at her with a smile. She returned his smile before nodding at Alice to continue. He sat his tray down and turned his attention to me after he managed to steal a quick kiss from Rose.

"Cullen," he muttered in a low voice. "New girl. Find her. Hit it."

"Emmett!" Rosalie hissed, glaring at him.

"What? Cullen needs some ass. We all know it."

I rolled my eyes. "Thank you, Emmett, for proving once again that you are an over-sexed caveman."

He grinned, and agreed with a nod. "Anytime, bro. But seriously," he glanced at Rose, his face full of apology, but she just continued to shoot daggers at him with her eyes. "Seek and destroy. She's a fucking ba—" he caught himself quickly. "She's a very… uh… _presentable_ young woman."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, and continued her chat with Alice, who was getting more excited as their talk went on. We were supposed to be going to La Push this weekend, to get fucked up and do a bonfire on the beach. Assuming it didn't rain. Which, in Washington, is always something to be taken into consideration when making plans. But the forecast had been promising that there would be little to no rain this weekend, and Alice had jumped at the chance to go to the beach.

"A girl doesn't get to go swimming here very often," she'd stated when I had asked why she was insisting on going all the way to La Push just to get drunk. She said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and I suppose I seemed like an idiot for not getting it, but swimming was the _last_thing I thought about doing around here.

"Emmett. I don't know who you're talking about, but—" I paused momentarily, amused by the exploding noises Jasper was making. "I doubt she's that fuckable. I don't stick my dick just wherever anymore. Not after last summer. I thought I told you that."

Emmett raised an eyebrow, a smug look on his face. A look that said, 'yeah, right. Wait till you fucking _see_ her.'

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. I picked absently at my food, a slight wave of nausea coming over me. "If new girl is such hot shit, point her out so I can judge for myself."

I honestly didn't care, though, because she _wouldn't_be that hot. None of the girls around here were, given the exception of Rosalie. Alice was beautiful, too, but Alice was family. Alice was _not_ hot. The nausea flared up again, and I worked to squash it back down.

_Part_ of the reason I hadn't had sex in so long was that I was bored of what Forks had to offer. Call me cocky, but my cock wanted better. He _deserved_better. He could only take so much of Lauren imadrunkenfuckingilliterate Mallory and Jessica icryduringsex Stanley.

"Can't," Emmett shrugged, removing me from my thoughts. I gave him a skeptical look, and he shrugged again. "She's in the library. Said she wanted to check some stuff out."

My mind toyed with this idea for a moment. New girl is—supposedly—hot, _and_she likes books? Hmm. Perhaps she'll be a nice surprise, after all. My dick must've heard me, because he stirred slightly.

_Nope, little buddy. Not yet. We've yet to meet this new girl, and she probably isn't even close to what Emmett is making her out to be._

After all, Emmett had recently ranted for three hours about how Pamela Anderson still looked like a goddess. My dick slumped back down, thoroughly offended by that image.

Goddess my ass.

**BPOV**

The library was beyond disappointing. It seemed only slightly larger than one of the classrooms, which I immediately took to be a bad sign. The selection was minimal, at best, and contained ridiculous books that I could swear were written for ten year olds.

I realized that my collection at home was far superior, and nearly gave up until I found a battered copy of the Marquis de Sade's _Justine_ half hidden behind some math text books.

_Nice._

I flipped it open, and found that it wasn't a library copy. So, either someone had left it there by mistake, or it was merely a gift from the literary Gods planted there specifically for me.

Either way, I was pleased that I would have something to get me through the rest of the day, not to mention something that could give me a serious set of ideas for doodle time with Emmett.

***

P.E. came after lunch, and I managed to not embarrass myself. Mike was in my class, and he followed me around, much to my amusement. I supposed that things could still work out between us.

I _really_needed a fucking outlet. A _fucking_ fucking outlet, to be precise.

After P.E. I had English. English was fairly boring, which disappointed me. InPhoenix, English had been one of my favorite classes. Then again, Justin's wandering hands had been in English… Jessica sat next to me in this class, too, which was the only redeeming thing about it. The class still blew, though. The most interesting thing that happened was some bitch named Lauren had given me a ridiculous third degree when she'd heard someone named Tyler had flirted with me. I remembered him from my ceramics class this morning. He'd laughed when I'd formed a roundish lump with my clay and asked if it was okay to make a soccer ball.

A.P. History came next, which excited me. I really, genuinely enjoyed history. I hoped that the class would truly be on an A.P. level, and that I would actually _learn_ something. I found myself in the room before any of the other students had arrived, and the teacher was rushing out.

"I'll be back!" he called over his shoulder. _Right_. He had been clutching his stomach, his eyes wide. _Should've laid off the grease sticks, Mr. Whoeveryouare._

I sat at a desk towards the back, hoping I wasn't stealing someone's seat. I didn't want to be asked to move. Not that I would. After I set my things down, I noticed a small heart carved into the lower right corner. Inside the heart were the initials J+A. I wrinkled my nose in distaste. How _tacky_.

My head snapped up as the door opened, and a tiny, beautiful girl danced in. A tall, equally attractive, lanky guy with sandy blonde hair followed behind her, holding her hand and smiling at her, looking slightly dazed. It was no wonder; the girl looked like she could be a super model. She had a short black bob and light gray eyes, and a slight golden tan I hadn't thought possible in Forks.

She stopped when she saw me, a smile coming over her face. _Here we go_. I hoped she wasn't going to give me the third degree I'd come to expect today.

"Hello, you must be the new girl," she extended a tiny hand to me as she made her way back to where I was sitting. I nodded; what was it with these people and shaking hands?

"That's me," I said lamely. A touch of skepticism marred my voice, but she either didn't notice or didn't care, because she started speaking again immediately.

"This is Jasper, and I'm Alice," she beamed brightly at the lanky boy. I allowed myself another peak, fully taking him in. He was pretty hot, too. He had this funky, I'm-a-rockstar thing going on. He saluted me much the same way Emmett had done to the teacher this morning, and I couldn't help but smile.

"I'm Bella," I said, realization hitting me as Jasper poked Alice in the side, causing her to squeal and swat at him. _J+A_.

"Miss Bella, you're in my seat," Jasper nodded to where I was sitting. I made a move to get up—he was nice enough to move for—but he shook his head. "Nope, darlin,' you stay put. A gentleman never takes a seat from a lady; on the contrary, he _should_ offer up his own." At that, he reached across Alice, took my hand, and kissed it softly. I gaped at him, blushing and confused, while Alice took the seat next to me, laughing softly.

"Jasper's from Texas," she explained, adoration ringing clear in her voice. "He's a real southern boy."

Jasper released my hand and smiled at first me, then Alice, and sat in the seat on the other side of her, absently taking her hand in his own. "Now you take care of that there heart, Miss Bella."

I looked down at the little J+A, and couldn't help but smile. They weren't tacky, I decided. They were… _adorable_. Ugh. What the fuck?

Students filtered in while Alice and I chatted, and I realized immediately that I was pretty much in love with the pretty little pixie girl. She was sweet, funny, and bubbly. She reminded me of my best friend Samantha, back home. I had to resist the urge to hug her several times—she just seemed very huggable. We talked about Phoenix and my move to Forks, and how I was fairing so far. I adored the way she carried the conversation—she didn't make it about herself, didn't push too hard and had exactly the right prompts.

The teacher didn't make it back until there was only twenty minutes of the class left. He hastily wrote the homework on the board, apologizing when the class groaned at how much reading had to be done, before disappearing again. The class continued on with their loud conversations, but I was almost entirely oblivious to them since I was so caught up in my conversation withAlice.

She turned to me once he was gone again, practically vibrating in her seat. I glanced at Jasper, who was writing in a battered looking notebook. There was a stern look of concentration on his face as he scribbled, but I couldn't read a word of it because he wrote _tiny_. He still had one hand on Alice at all times, on her hand, or on her thigh, but it didn't strike me as possessive in the slightest. At one point he'd reached up and tugged on a strand of her hair, and she'd playfully swatted his hand away and stuck her tongue out at him. He'd responded by tapping her on the nose and telling her to mind her mouth. I was amazed at how different they were, yet it was clear from just these last 40 minutes that they were deeply in love.

Lucky them.

"Bella, we're going to La Push this weekend. We're going to have a picnic and bonfire and there's going to be a considerable amount of alcohol, assuming Emmett can get it—" she stopped when she saw me perk up at the mention of Emmett, then shared a meaningful look with Jasper.

"What?" I asked, running a hand self-consciously through my hair.

"Nothing," she shrugged. "Emmett mentioned you at lunch."

"He did?" I felt my heart pick up a little, and hope began filtering into the parts of my brain that acted entirely on impulse.

Alice's eyes seemed to recognize the hint of longing in my voice, because her bright face suddenly became very serious. "Emmett has a girlfriend, Bella."

"I know," I dropped my head, blushing slightly. "I'm not going to make any moves on him, I swear." _Not that I don't want to_, I amended mentally. "He's funny, and a really nice guy, though." Jasper snickered at this for reasons I didn't know, then went back to his writing, humming softly.

I stared at him questioningly, but before I could say anything, Alice smiled in relief and continued on. "Oh, of course not, not that I thought you would, just had to be sure you knew. Anyways, so we're going to La Push, and, weather permitting: bonfire, booze, food, swimming." She counted all of these things on her little fingers, then paused, suddenly thoughtful. "Possibly not in that order." We both laughed at this. "So, anyway, Bella, would you like to come? Jazz and I will be there, and Emmett and Rose," I cringed inwardly at the mention of her name, "and my cousin, too. What do you say?"

I almost wanted to think of an excuse; Emmett's girlfriend would be there, and I didn't want to cause any waves. Because I really _really_wanted to fuck him. I just had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't that girl anymore. Plus,Alice's eyes were glittering with some secret excitement, and I just couldn't find it in me to say no to her.

"Okay," I agreed. Fuck this Rose bitch.

"Excellent!" she clapped her small hands together. Jasper looked up at me and nodded his approval with a small smile, pleased that I had made Alice happy. Something told me his main mission in life was to make her happy.

Alice whipped out her phone and looked at me expectantly. I got momentarily confused before saying, "Oh!" a little too loudly. Alice's laughter tinkled in the air, and I suppressed a giggle of my own. I told her my number, and as soon as I was done, she pressed the call button.

"_You're a fucking ugly bitch. I want to stab you to death, and play around with your—"_

I yanked my phone out of my pocket, hitting the silence button, eyes wide. A boy sitting two seats over was staring at me with eyes that matched my own, confusion crossing his face. I shrugged and turned to Alice, who also had a confused look on her face. Jasper was chuckling, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Why, Miss Bella, I do believe you're the most amazing person I've met in the last five years." If I hadn't heard the honesty in his statement, I might've thought he was being sarcastic. Alice frowned at him, but it was clear that it was out of confusion rather than jealousy. This made me happy; I really likedAlice, and I would've hated for her to think that I was in any way after Jasper—regardless of how attractive or charming he was.

"That's from American Psycho, remember? When they're in the club, early on," he was still chuckling as he said this, brushing a stray hair from Alice's face. Her face lit up with recognition, and she nodded. She crinkled her nose slightly, then turned fully back to me.

"That's one of Jasper's favorite movies, too." I grinned at him, and he winked in return.

"Have you read the book?" He nodded, stretching forward.

"Love Ellis," he said simply. I nodded in agreement, pleased that I had found someone else that enjoyed his writing. Most people I'd met (at least of my peers) either had no idea it was a book, or couldn't deal with the descriptions it contained.

Alice perked up again when she glanced at the clock, realizing class was about to be over. "Bella, we'll talk more about this tomorrow." The excitement in her voice was catching. "And don't hesitate to call if you have any questions, k?"

I nodded, happy that I'd made another friend. Who, of course, happened to be friends with the only other friend I'd made so far. The world was being far too generous to me right now, but I'd take what I could get. I responded with the most genuine thanks I could. She smiled happily at me, and the bell rang. We all got up to leave, Jasper being towed by Alice once again.

"See you tomorrow!" she called over her shoulder. Jasper turned and grinned at me, saluting me once again. "Miss Bella," he drawled, and I couldn't help it, I blushed like a schoolgirl. He chuckled and winked again, then followed Aliceout into the crowd.

I pulled out my schedule for the final time. I'd given up on trying to memorize it, but I all ready knew what was coming.

_Biology_.

I sighed for the umpteenth time today. I had all ready finished biology at home in Phoenix. I knew all about cells and reproduction, I'd dissected frogs and pigs, and I'd been in an advanced Physics class before moving here. There must have been a scheduling error here or something.

I pulled out the copy of _Justine_I'd found earlier, glad to have something to occupy me during the bore that biology was sure to be.

I made a mental note to get my schedule fixed after school. I was positive there was nothing that could compel me enough to repeat that class.

**EPOV**

I walked into biology, still slightly disappointed that I had yet to see the new girl. Emmett would be wrong, of course, but it couldn't hurt to dream a bit. Not to mention I was horny as hell. And if she _were_ even remotely attractive…

I settled into my seat and leaned back, my legs stretched out in front of me.

Biology wasn't the most interesting thing in the world. It comes naturally to me, though, and I always get the best grades in the class, so Banner let's me sit alone and do as I please most days. Our silent agreement is that I do well, and he turns a blind eye to my boredom. Works for us.

As I stared at my desk, Banner began bantering on about cell structure, and I immediately tuned him out. I knew this shit like the back of my hand. I probably even understood it better than he did, but the class was mandatory and there were no high courses offered. If I really wanted any sort of challenge, I'd have to enroll in night classes over at Peninsula College. I had considered this for a while, if for no other reason than to get some credits out of the way early, but vetoed the idea quickly. I was young, still only in high school. I wanted to continue _some_ semblance of beingyoung for at least a little while.

I considered pulling out a book, but couldn't decide what I wanted to read. I had two in my bag, both of which I was halfway through. I started drumming absently on my desk, considering which I'd prefer to read more, stopping when I realized the room had gone silent. I looked up—

And there she was. The new girl. Emmett was wrong. _Presentable_ was definitely _not_ the word I would use. Aesthetically pleasing. Sexy. Delicious. Lust-inducing. _Fuckable_. These are all words _I_ would use to describe her.

She looked over to where I was sitting, her dark chocolate eyes meeting mine with clear interest. Her mouth opened slightly, and I felt my dick jump to attention without my permission. I realized that Banner was talking to her, telling her to sit next to me. Of course she would sit there, it was the only empty seat in the room. I appraised her as she walked slowly towards me, taking all of her in.

She had curled dark brown hair, which had a slightly messy, I've-just-been-fucked look to it. She had breasts that were just a little too full for her frame, and I had a strong desire to bury my face between them. She was perfectly proportioned height-wise, with neither legs nor torso being too long. She had full hips and a narrow waist, giving her the perfect hourglass.

My eyes traveled back up her frame to her face, and I saw that she had full, pouty lips. I immediately felt the urge to bite them. Above her lips was a perfect, slightly upturned nose. The nose of a bitch. My favorite kind.

I allowed my eyes to travel further up, meeting hers again. Their depth was astonishing for some reason, and I felt a sudden urge to swim in the secrets they held. They were framed by full, sexy dark lashes, which stood out against her creamy alabaster skin.

She maintained eye contact until she sat down carefully beside me, and I felt my cock twitch again as I caught her scent. She smelled like strawberries and something flowery that I couldn't name. She smelled delicious. I readjusted myself in my seat, wincing as my erection became more suffocated by the denim of my jeans. I moved my hands under the table, attempting to pull them down a little, but it didn't help much.

After she set her bag and all but one of her books down, she looked up at me. I wondered briefly if she tasted as good as she looked and smelled—

"Hello," she whispered in husky voice.

—and sounded.

"I'm Bella." Her voice was an octave lower now, and God help me, I wanted to bend her over the table right then and there. I leaned towards her, her strawberry flower scent assaulting my senses.

"Edward. It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella," I whispered. Her name rolled off my tongue. What a perfect name for her.

We were extremely close now, and the tension was electric. Her body heat was rolling towards me in waves, and I felt my hands clench into fists under the desk.

She returned my smirk. "Likewise," she whispered, giving me slight chills.

Oh. Fuck. Me.

I frowned when I noticed the book she was holding, recognizing the creases on the front cover instantly. I inclined my head towards it. "Where did you get that?" I raised my eyes to her own. She looked confused for a moment, then recognition found her as she looked down at the book.

"The library," she whispered. She looked questioningly at my face, which still held the frown. "Not a fan?"

I chuckled. Not a fan? Silly, clueless new girl.

"On the contrary. _That_," I pointed for emphasis, "is mine. I've been wondering what happened to it."

Her eyebrows raised and she sort of squinted.

"May I?" I motioned to the book. She nodded, skeptical.

I flipped to the 67th page, where a single word was highlighted.

"Fuck?" she whispered, amusement lighting up her face.

I nodded seriously. "It's the only place in the entire novel that the word appears."

She nodded in return, grinning. "I know."

I raised an eyebrow of my own; now it was my turn to be skeptical. She chose this moment to concede, however, shoving the book in my direction.

"You can have it back. I've got my own copy at home."

"If you'd like to borrow it—" I began, but she cut me off.

"No, thank you, I have my own."

My brow shot up again, and she mirrored the expression back to me. And that was the end of that conversation.

We spent the rest of the period in silence, staring, sizing each other up. We didn't say another word. She breathed deeply, occasionally biting her lip, occasionally reaching up to play with a strand of hair. I kept my hands in fists on the desk, afraid of what would happen if I unclenched them. I wondered if any of her movements were deliberate. She seemed like she could be calculating when it came to men, but I couldn't be completely certain. Women were difficult to read sometimes.

I wanted so badly to touch her… she smelled incredible, she read de Sade—that alone was impressive enough to make me hard—and I wanted desperately to hear that husky voice moaning my name.

When the bell rang, I gave her a final smirk before rushing out of the room. I walked quickly through the halls, sending Alice a text to get a ride home with Rosalie and Jasper or Emmett. I let her know I'd pick her up later if she decided to hang out with them, but that I had business to attend to. I left out the following facts:

1. I had to get to my car as quickly as possible.

2. I had to get home, again, as quickly as possible.

3. I had to take care of my dick. As quickly as fucking possible.

* * *

**Endnotes: **I suppose I should mention that the speed of these updates is merely because of what's all ready posted on Twilighted(dot)net. Once I'm caught up on chapters here, the updates will be less frequent. However, as I get deeper into the story, the chapters have gotten longer and longer... so... the updates may be worth the wait? Haha.

Feel free to voice any questions, concerns or comments... I, like anyone, love the feedback. :)


	4. Chapter 4 Beautiful People

**BPOV**

Edward. Just thinking his name made me wet. Sitting next to him yesterday had been fucking... shit. Incredible? I wanted to bite him, he looked so delicious. Screw Mike. Screw Emmett. Edward. Edward screwing me. Edward screwing me while Emmett-Shit. No. None of that. I had spent a good chunk of last night wondering how I should approach Edward. Should I try to make silly conversation with him, or just go straight for the jugular? Should I use the standard, 'hey, nice shoes, wanna fuck?' I felt like a childish little girl, and Bella Swan was _not_a girl that was unsure of herself, not by any means. I didn't know how bitches in Forks got down, but in Phoenix, if you wanted something, you chased it. Sadly, however, we weren't in Phoenix anymore. I didn't want him to think me a whore before he'd even had a taste.

Mmm. I could just imagine that smug little mouth of his _tasting_me...

I couldn't remember ever meeting a boy that was as delicious as him. Justin had been gorgeous as hell, but he was nowhere near Edward's caliber. I'm fairly certain-no scratch that, _completely_certain-that he could be a model if he wanted. The more I thought about it, the more I enjoyed my little fantasies of him walking up the runway. Edward doing his best "Blue Steel." Or his best Marky Mark...

As I got ready for the day, I decided to wear something a little daring. I chose to go braless under a clingy and sheer Ninja Turtles tank that I had had since I was twelve-boys loved that kinda shit. I never actually wore it when I was twelve, because all my girlfriends were bitches and didn't understand the awesomeness of boy's cartoons. I was now significantly more confident, so I paired it with some tight black skinny jeans and pumps, then threw a black cardigan on. I had to look fucking hot, but shit, it was cold as balls out here.

As I drove to school, I thought of his face. His gorgeous, perfect, lovely face.

He had a strong jaw, with stubble that was a couple days old. His brows were thick, but highly expressive, and under them were the most beautiful green eyes I'd ever seen. He smiled crookedly. His hair had the same I've-just-been-fucked look that mine always had, but somehow, I didn't think he had to work for it. And his body? Good lord. He was long and lean, but still muscular. Not to mention the fact that he had beautiful hands. Seriously, they were sexy. Sexy hands? What the fuck was wrong with me?

I pulled into the parking lot, my truck causing people to stare. Yeah, it's loud as shit. Who cares, Forkers?

As I stepped down from the cab, I glanced up to see Alice standing next to a shiny, silver Volvo, waving excitedly at me. Jasper was leaning on a red BMW next to the Volvo. He appeared to be drinking from a flask, and I realized why must've appeared so dazed yesterday. He must've been a little drunk then, too. I hadn't smelled it on him, so I couldn't be totally certain, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized his eyes had that familiar glaze one gets when intoxicated. I decided I'd have to ask him to share sometime.

I waved back at Alice, smiling a genuine smile. A Jeep drove up and screeched to a halt in the space next the BMW, and Emmett jumped out. Upon spying me, he boomed out, "BELLS!" I couldn't help but laugh. He grinned, dimpling, and motioned for me to join them. As I started walking towards them, I noticed a blonde girl getting out of the BMW. A _beautiful_blonde girl. A beautiful _tall_ blonde girl. One who was both busty _and_leggy.

She was a gorgeous fucking blonde _Amazon_.

My annoyance flared a little as Emmett grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her to him, smothering her in a kiss. Jasper rolled his eyes at this, then moved a little closer to Alice. He sipped his flask and narrowed his eyes a little, staring at nothing on the ground. When I finally made my way over to them, Alice pulled me into a hug, which kind of shocked me, but I welcomed it. I really felt like I was carving out a little niche for myself, and it was happening way faster than I would've thought possible. I would _not_complain for gaining friends so quickly. I had to assert myself so that I wouldn't be regarded as weak. Like a hyena... or some shit.

"Bella! You're still coming to La Push, right?" she narrowed her eyes at me, and I couldn't help it, I laughed. I had agreed, hadn't I? I was excited at the prospect of the beach, even if the skies overhead couldn't show any real promise. Alice was a total sweetheart, and I really liked Jasper and Emmett so far. Hopefully I could fit in with their little group, and push the blonde bitch out...

"Yeah, I haven't changed my mind." She brightened significantly when I said this, clapping her hands together and exclaiming, "Good!"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the Amazon scrunch her face in distaste. Clearly she didn't want me there. What the fuck ever. I realized she must be the Rose I'd heard about, but as beautiful as she was, I wasn't afraid of her. Fuck her.

Jasper reached forward, taking Alice's hand and pulling her back towards him. His eyes were a little red, and he looked like he hadn't slept in a while. "Miss Bella," he slurred. A small smile played on his lips, and he jerked his head towards the beautiful blonde Emmett was pawing. "You met my sister yet?"

I raised an eyebrow. Sister? Oh. That explains the eye roll. I shook my head, and the girl turned another icy stare my way. Jasper continued on, very clearly drunk. He disregarded her glare with a slight tilt of his head and a squint of his own, and she smoothed her face out slightly. This simple response made it clear that they respected each other, which, in turn, made me respect their relationship. I admired siblings close, either because of the fact that I didn't have any, or because I never _wanted_any. I admired the kinship they had, because in spite of anyone or thing else they might lose, they'd always have each other.

Jasper slurred on, confirming my personal beliefs about siblings. "Miss Bella, this is Rosalie, my twin, my other half, the part of my soul that was disconnected and made into another person. Course, Alice is my _better_ half, but Rose is my... Aw, shit, whatever. You get it."

I laughed and turned to look at her again. Rosalie raised a perfect brow at me, but didn't smile. Shit, she was beautiful. Emmett was a lucky fucking guy to be hitting that. Emmett looked from Rosalie to me and back again, before giving her a slight nudge. "Say hi, Baby. She's my new doodle buddy, the one I told you about, remember? She's funny as shit." He grinned at me, and I smirked back, bowing a little at his complement. Rosalie affected a bored look, then spoke, her voice nearly as beautiful and icy as her face.

"Hello, Bella. Such a _pleasure_ to meet you." The venom in her voice didn't go without notice. Her statement was simple, but it held weight that was nearly palpable. I sighed, realizing quickly that she was one of _those_ girls. The girls that always hated me back home when I "stole" their boyfriends. Newsflash: it's not theft if they come voluntarily.

"You, too, Rosalie." I matched her gaze, silently accepting her challenge. Okay, bitch. Game on.

She glared back at me, sneering slightly; perhaps she wasn't used to someone standing up to her. I was about to open my mouth again to say something smart-or stupid, depending on how you looked at it-when the driver's door to the Volvo opened. I hadn't realized there was someone sitting inside of it. But... _oh_. It wasn't _someone_. It was him. It was _Edward_. He got out slowly, a look of irritation on his face. He was typing outrageously fast on his phone, and he walked unseeingly to stand next to Alice.

"McCarty. I need something good this time, please. None of that shit from last time. Something that makes the inner monologue go, you know?" He didn't even look up, and had yet to notice me in my stunning (and fucking_cold_) outfit.

Emmett wrapped his arms around Rosalie's waist, burying his face in her neck. "Well hello to you, too, darling. And fuck you, Cullen. That _was_ good shit and you know it. Just because Victoria didn't want to suck your dick-"

At this, Alice scrunched her face up and brought her hands to her ears. "Lalalalala! I can't hear you!"

Emmett and I began laughing, and Edward looked up, surprised. That sex smirk crept onto his face again, and my teeth found my lip.

"Hello, Bella. I see you've met my circle all ready." I felt my eyes widen a little as I looked around and for the first realized how unbelievably _attractive_this entire group was as a whole. All of the boys were tall and sexy as hell in their own ways, and obviously Alice and the Amazon were strikingly beautiful as well. I smirked outwardly and cheered inside slightly; I would fit _right_in with their little clique. Even if I had to tolerate the Amazon being around, I would, because there was honestly no other place that I belonged than the top. My smirk grew wider. _I wonder if Edward will like it when I'm on top?_

His eyes traveled down to my suddenly at attention nipples, and I silently thanked myself for not wearing a bra. It was kind of an attention whore thing to do, but it was working so well. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his smirk grew. "Ninja Turtles?" his voice was slightly patronizing, and I quickly moved on the offensive.

"Turtles are boss. Don't act like they aren't." I poked my chest out, just a bit, hoping to illicit a response from him. He shifted slightly, moving his math book down to cover his crotch. Ha. Take _that_, sex haired god.

Emmett nodded in agreement and spoke up before either of us could fire at each other again. "Fuck yeah they are. Shit, Bells, you're the fucking perfect woman, aren't you?" He quickly looked down at Rosalie, who was glaring at him. "Ah... Baby you know you're the perfect woman, I just mean... I mean, it's the Ninja Turtles! I... uh..."

"Yes, _Bells_, the Ninja Turtles _were_ pretty fucking boss. In, you know, fourth grade."

Now it was my turn to glare. Edward was dissing the Turtles? Prick. Jasper reacted before I could, reaching behind Alice and smacking Edward on the back of his head. I wished instantly that it could've been me hitting him. How badly I wanted to touch that hair, and how badly I wanted to scold him for being such a douche to one of our generation's staples. I had thought about it (the hair touching part, at least) last night for far longer than I'd like to admit.

"Edward, don't be rude to Miss Bella. If the lady likes the Ninja Turtles, then so be it. Don't go picking on her for having reasonable and, if I do say so myself, magnificent taste. I suggest you apologize for your snarky comment."

Edward shook his head at Jasper, irritated, then turned back to me. "I apologize, _Miss_Bella. Could you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?" he was smirking again, completely and obviously patronizing me.

"Hm," I tapped my chin dramatically, pretending to debate this. "Possibly. Walk me to class, and I'll consider it."

His eyes narrowed again, but the smirk remained.

"Do you two have a class together?" Alice suddenly piped. She was applying some lip gloss, and Jasper was watching intently, licking his own lips. As soon as she was finished, he reached over and yanked the wand out of her hand. He licked the tip of it, which caused her to squeal, "Jasper! That is _not_ for eating!" She grabbed it back from him, quickly putting it away, and turned back to Edward and I expectantly.

We answered simultaneously, looking at each other rather than at her. "Yeah."

I saw her nodding out of the corner of my eye, and tore my eyes away from Edward to give her the attention she deserved. She was looking down now, though, face scrunched in concentration. Jasper was whispering in her ear, motioning between Edward and I with his hands.

Her eyes widened, and a huge grin crossed her face, but she quickly regained her composure and looked up at me, softening her smile.

"Which class?"

Again, we both answered her at the same time. "Biology."

"Hm. That's good. Edward hates biology. He never pays attention. Make sure he pays attention from now on, k?" she said all of this nonchalantly, as though her and Jasper hadn't just been all whispery and conspire-y with each other. The bell rang then, signaling that we had five minutes to get to class.

I laughed, unsure of what a better response would be. "Sure. I'll see you in History." She smiled brightly at me again, and she and Jasper left, arm in arm. Jasper turned, giving me and Edward that little salute, and Edward did it back to him. Emmett was still blabbering on to Rosalie about how perfect she was, and my stomach rolled a little. They walked away together, too, too absorbed in each other to say goodbye.

"Baby, come on, really, you know you're the most beautiful thing..."

I tuned him out, I had to. Yeah, the chick was beautiful, but shit. She had to be fully aware of it. Anyone who wasn't was fucking brain-dead. Edward rolled his eyes at the disgusted expression on my face, then held his hand out to me. "Give me your books. What's your first class?"

"Why do you want my books?" I asked, confused. Surely he had all of the books he needed. He gave me a look that suggested I might be stupid, and I got a sudden urge to stick my tongue out at him.

"I do not _want_ your books. I'm offering to carry them for you."

I looked at him, confused by his unexpected courtesy. He sighed, then began again in a patient voice.

"Jasper takes great pride in being a gentleman. He's been trying for years to instill his beliefs into Emmett and myself, and the least I could do is _attempt _to carry out his teachings." He paused, then smirked again, his voice taking on a rougher tone. "Now give me your fucking books so I can walk you to class properly."

He was staring at my tits again, and I took a couple steps towards him, making them bounce a little. His nostrils flared and he looked up, meeting my eyes. He squinted slightly, and he frowned. Part of me felt a tingly thrill, because he looked so hot when he made that face. Hotness aside, however, it was quite clear that he knew what I was doing. Whoops. I shrugged and shoved my books at him, slightly brushing my body against his as I moved past him, rejoicing as he tensed slightly.

_Yes_.

And then he was next to me, taking long strides with his long legs and hissing breathily into my ear. "Bella, do please try to keep those covered up. You could catch frostbite in this weather."

**EPOV**

I grew increasingly rude to her as the day went on. I didn't want to charm her, I wanted her to be as far away from me as possible. Something about her was going to be dangerous to me. I could feel it. She made me uncomfortable—women didn't do that, not to me.

I was attracted to her, of course; who wouldn't be? But something about her… something wasn't… right. Not to mention the fact that I couldn't get her out of my fucking head.

And that Ninja Turtles shirt? Hell yes Turtles are fucking boss, I'm a douche for ever denying that. But with her little nipples trying to rip through Donatello and Leonardo's eyes… I couldn't help the comment. I wanted it to be my mouth they were in. Hell, I wanted to shove her against the back of the Volvo. When she'd brushed up against me—on purpose, undoubtedly—I'd had to fight the urge to grab her by the hair with one hand and shove the other one down her pants. Never in my life had I been more excited at the mere _prospect_ of fucking someone. I didn't even _know_ her. Had that ever stopped me before? Shit. No.

She sat with us at lunch today.

Alice chattered with her about La Push—apparently she'd invited her—while Jasper played with his food again. Bella had laughed hysterically when he started to do a recreation of the final act of Hamlet with French fries and a tooth pick he'd had in his pocket. She had even _joined in_, squeezing ketchup packets all over the fries to make them look like they were drenched in blood.

Emmett had laughed with her about their doodles, and Rosalie glared. Bella didn't flinch, and I was impressed. There weren't too many _adults_ that could take Rosalie's glare, let alone any of our peers. Occasionally, when Rose wasn't looking, I'd catch Bella eyeing her appreciatively. I stared at her in wonder after the first couple of times, unsure of why she would look at her with any sort of appreciation. At first I thought she was just admiring Rosalie's beauty—she was quite beautiful, and most everyone admired her. But my thoughts shifted course when Bella's eyes grew a little hazy and she bit down on her lip.

Oh. _Oh. _Was she one of _those_ girls?

My dick immediately hardened at the idea of Bella appreciating Rosalie more fully, and I'd had to shift in my seat to ease the stress my jeans were putting on it. Fucking Christ, could this girl be any _more_ dangerous?

The rest of my day was filled with thoughts of her. Thoughts of her with Rosalie. Thoughts of her on the beach. Naked. With Rosalie. Fuck. I hadn't thought of Rosalie that way in _years_. And now, this damned new girl was here, making me have fantasies about the two of them. Dirty, nasty, highly involved fantasies.

Well, this just would _not_ do. When I finally reached Biology, I thought my balls were going to fall off. I'd actually asked to use the bathroom during Trig, surprising Miss Weston. I never asked to use the bathroom. I fucking loved math.

When I got to the bathroom, I punched the walls of one of the stalls. I closed my eyes, and big brown ones stared back at me from the walls of my imagination. She bit her lip, and I couldn't hold it anymore.

I jacked off in the fucking boys bathroom.

I tried to be quick. I didn't want to get caught. That would be beyond embarrassing. When I finished, I stared down at the sperm spiraling down in the toilet. I frowned.

"What are you doing to me?" I whispered, to no one.

In Bio, I sat down uncomfortably, not entirely ready to spend an entire hour next to the girl who was somehow managing to unravel me. It's not that I thought it was impossible to be so taken with a woman—Jasper and Emmett were prime examples of this odd phenomena—I just hadn't thought it could ever happen so _quickly_. She had been consuming every single thought I'd had in the past twenty four hours, and no woman had ever done that, not even when I was nine and convinced that I was going to marry Ginger Spice.

Yeah. Ginger Spice. The woman had great tits, okay?

Bella plopped down next to me, tits jiggling, pulling me back to the present. Waking my dick up, _again_.

"Gotten frostbite yet?"

She turned to me, eyes slightly narrowed and shoved her breasts onto the table, stretching her arms behind her. Her face suddenly became innocent.

"Are you a doctor?" she dropped her voice then, breathing out, "Would you like to check for me?"

Fuck, would I ever. "No, but I've read enough medical journals and studied enough to know what to check for. If you'd like, I can most certainly examine you." I was being cocky, but it wasn't unfounded. I knew my shit, so what if I liked to flaunt my knowledge? Knowledge is sexy.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you read medical journals? Are you planning on one day _being_ a doctor?"

I shrugged, shaking my head. "My father's a doctor. He has an extensive library of medical texts. They're quite interesting."

Her eyes narrowed again, and she looked as though she were pondering something. "Edward?" Fuck. There it was again. That sexy, breathy, fuck-me whisper.

I leaned into her, getting a good whiff of her strawberry/flower scent. "Yes, Bella?"

She leaned closer to me, and I could see her nipples hardening again. Only it wasn't cold right now. I couldn't help the smirk that crossed my face.

"Do you think your father can prescribe me something?" her eyes were serious, and she was biting her lip again.

I frowned, unsure of where this was going. "Such as?"

She fidgeted, looking down and blushing as she spoke. "Well… see… I have… um… well… it's not really… it's…"

Oh. No. Please, no. Dear anyone who's watching over this earth, watching me, watching _her_, Fates, whomever, just… _no_.

"Herpes."

She looked down in shame, and I felt my eyes glaze over. My vision blurred, and my stomach churned at the bathroom masturbation that had occurred just two periods before. I wanted to heave. I wanted to burn my hands with lye and dye my retinas four shades of bleached. The constriction of my jeans lessened to the point of normality, my dick having been melted into a worthless pile of skin.

Herpes?

What. The fuck.

**BPOV**

Oh. The look on his beautiful face. I was nearly shaking now, trying so hard not to laugh. His face was all closed up now, and he was starting to look sick. No way. Motherfucker. Did he _really_ think that I had _herpes_?

"Edward," I whispered. He ignored me. Damn me and my stupid, inappropriate humor.

"_Edward_," I hissed, poking him. He shrank away from me, probably not even consciously.

"Edward, I do _not_ have herpes. I was joking. I swear. If you want, you can give me a thorough examination later, and then you can see exactly how much herpes I _don't _have."

He looked at me, finally. His green eyes were narrowed, but that sex smirk was all ready creeping onto his face.

"You're just in desperate need of a physical, aren't you? Frostbitten nipples, genital herpes…"

I hung my head. "Yes… I haven't been seen in months." The truth in this statement would have been obvious to anyone paying any attention, and much to my delight, he responded like someone who knew how to solve that problem for me. His hand moved slightly on the table, inching towards me, and he whispered his reply as his eyes roamed my chest. "I wouldn't mind seeing you…" And just like that, we were back on the horny track. Fuck yes!

My panties flooded as I hissed in a breath. I looked into his eyes, now dark with lust, and I felt a jolt go through my pussy. I chewed on my lip, wishing desperately that we could be anywhere but in this fucking biology class. I had to force myself not to grin when I looked down to see a pleasant bulge in his pants—we were on the same page.

I wanted to touch it. I wanted to lick it. I wanted to _see _it. Instead, I looked back up into his eyes, clenching my vaginal muscles. I closed my eyes at the sensation, and he sucked in a shaking breath. Kegels are truly one of the easiest and most discrete ways to get off. Shit. I was getting off on bad porno dialogue. I really _really_ needed to get laid, and _soon._

The beach was in just two days. I decided I would make my move then. And then, Edward… wait.

"What's your last name?" I asked lamely. Great. I popped our bubble. Glancing around the room before chancing a glance at his face, I realized it was probably for the best. Couldn't let our hormones get the better of us in this room full of people, now could we?

He looked at me, confusing covering his face. "Cullen."

I nodded. _Cullen_. Unusual. He tilted his head to the side, his bronze hair falling onto his forehead a little. Disappointment filtered through his voice, but his face showed no other signs of it. "And yours?"

"Swan." I breathed. He was too sexy for words. He nodded in return.

We spent the rest of the period in silence, staring at each other, just as we had the day before.

* * *

**Endnotes**:

Ah, young lust. How delicious. Edward will play Doctor for reviews ;)


	5. Chapter 5 NSotB

**A/N: **And this, my dearies, is where we start to earn our ratings.

Onward! (OnEdward? Hmmmm...)

* * *

**EPOV**

**Friday**

I awoke around 5, completely disoriented. I reached out in my bed, desperately searching for the flowery, sweet, strawberry-Bella. Fuck. I was fucking _dreaming _about her. I shifted in my bed, groaning at the tenting I had going on. I had known this girl for only a couple days, and all ready she was invading my friends, my thoughts, my dreams...

I tried to lie still and forget the dream. I closed my eyes, tried to relax the individual parts of my body enough to fall asleep again. I had to be awake by 7 if I wanted to eat a proper breakfast, but I could sleep until 7:20 if I wanted to grab an apple or some Pop Tarts. I could gouge my eyes out and never have to see her again...

I tried to breathe invitingly enough for sleep to return, but failed. I rolled over-straight onto my morning wood. I closed my eyes and huffed in frustration, only to find her biting her pouty bottom lip.

I gave my little fixation a week. Two, max. Perhaps if I just got her to blow me, it would just go away. The beach was tomorrow. Which meant today was... Friday. I groaned again. I had an essay due in English, something I'd completely forgotten about when _she _had come along. Sighing, I extracted myself from my sheets. I decided I'd shower before finishing the essay. Showering could kick start my brain.

I carefully let my boxers drop to the floor and stared at my dick, suppressing another sigh. Sure, I got morning wood a lot-it was kind of normal, my being a guy and all. It just wasn't usually caused by Bambi and her fuck me eyes. I started the water, deciding that cold was going to be the answer. Sure enough, shrinkage started almost immediately. It was painful, but necessary. I couldn't keep on like this. I exited the shower, quickly drying off. I didn't bother putting clothes on. Nudity was far more freeing than most people understood.

Essay. Essay. Essay. Shakespeare. Hamlet. Essay. Bella.

Shit.

I walked downstairs around 6:30, my shitty excuse of an essay completed. As I walked into the kitchen, I found my father, reading a newspaper and frowning. He was all ready dressed for work in a dark blue suit. His coffee cup sat next to the hand holding the paper, but it appeared untouched. I peered over his shoulder, breathing in the scent of the dark roast. All I needed to see were the words 'Swine Flu,' and I instantly understood his frown. I greeted him and walked over to the fridge.

"You're up early," he replied. I nodded, pulling out the creamer and some bread for toast.

"Couldn't sleep. Swine flu?" I didn't want him to ask me why I couldn't sleep, so a subject that made him passionate was an easy out.

He pursed his lips and shook the paper slightly. "It's so ridiculous. People die of the flu every year, and no one ever comments on it. And yet, here, we have this new strain, and everyone is losing their minds." He closed his eyes, and it was clear that he wasn't sleeping very well, either.

He had been in contact with Doctors Without Borders again, and again, my mother was extremely stressed about the prospect of him leaving for any extended period of time. I suppose I understood her frustrations, but he always felt like he had to give back to the world. She did, too, but she did it with fund raisers and charity balls and galas. She chose the safe route-he chose the route that made a more significant and direct impact on the world.

"Well, they did the same thing with Bird Flu, remember?" I popped two pieces of bread into the toaster, then poured myself a cup of coffee. I grabbed a box of Corn Pops and fixed myself a bowl while I waited for the toast to finish.

"It's extremely upsetting that the public is so misinformed all the time, and that the press chooses to continue using scare tactics. It really does concern me that our government would just _let _people worry all the time." He was frowning even more now, lines appearing on his forehead.

I chewed thoughtfully. "Do you suppose it's because they want the focus to be on something other than what else is going on in the world?" He nodded, then went back to his paper. My mother came in then, wrapped in a robe and wearing fuzzy slippers. I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Would you like some coffee?" She nodded and yawned, and I slid my cup to her.

"Isn't this yours, Darling?"

"Yeah, but you can have it. I'll pour myself another cup. Toast?" She smiled at me and shook her head, sitting down next to my father at the table. They kissed and she turned her attention to the paper. "I don't know why you even read that anymore, Carlisle. It's so depressing."

"I know. I have half a mind to slap the editor."

The toast popped up, and I smothered it with jam before placing it on a plate.

"I'm going to finish getting ready for school." I wanted to move out of the kitchen before the conversation rounded back to my father's job.

"Edward, have you taken your vitamins?"

I sighed, but turned and gave my mother a bright smile. "You know it." My father looked up at me with an arched eyebrow, knowing full well that I hadn't taken them, but he didn't say anything.

"The Volvo is due for maintenance tomorrow, don't forget," he said. Shit. I_had_ forgotten. My face betrayed me, because he tsked. He knew we had plans tomorrow, and that I was supposed to be driving. He looked down at his watch, then back at his paper. "No exceptions." I nodded and headed back upstairs to get dressed for the day.

*******

Alice had been insufferable during the ride to school.

"Edward, Bella is a total sweetheart, don't you think?"

"Alice."

"I mean, she's pretty, she's smart, she's-"

"Alice-"

"-got a great sense of style and she-"

"-stop, I'm not going to-"

"Edward! Just think-"

I gripped the steering wheel in frustration, causing it to groan. My jaw hurt a little from the pressure of clenching my teeth together. Alice looked at my face and huffed, turning to look out the window.

"You know, you could at least _consider_-"

"Alice, please."

"Ugh. Fine. But don't come crying to me when she looks all sexy in her bikini tomorrow."

I rolled my eyes at her, which in turn earned me a stuck out tongue. In truth, I was way too fucking excited about seeing her in her bikini. I could just imagine how great her tits would look when she ran into the water. How hot she'd look when she was wet...

"Edward!" Alice was snapping her fingers in my face, a look of irritation marring her features.

"What?" I snapped back.

"You missed the school!"

Oh. Oops. I glanced around, finding no one on the road, then flipped a bitch in the middle of the road. I warily eyed the parking lot as I drove in, unsure of what exactly I was looking for. I had no idea what Bella drove, if she drove at all. Perhaps she didn't. There weren't many cars here yet, anyway. The teachers were all pulling into their spots on the opposite end of the old lot, and Rosalie had just pulled into her spot. I glided in smoothly next to her, and before I even had the car in park, Alice was flying over to meet Jasper. I glanced over to find Rosalie rolling her eyes a little, and then turning to shoot an irritated look at me. I didn't even have to ask to know why she was irritated, but I knew she'd grab a moment to lay into me anyways. I closed my eyes and mentally prepared myself for her barrage.

Rosalie didn't play nice with other girls. Alice was the only exception to this rule.

I stayed in the car as I had done the day before, still not ready for Rose and her lectures on the new girl. I closed my eyes and began to drift, only to be awoken swiftly by the tap tap tap of acrylics on the glass of my window.

I sighed, then unlocked the door. She sat in gracefully, quickly closing the door and drawing her long legs towards her seat, knees pressed together. I didn't look up to her eyes, choosing instead to focus on her smooth calves. She cleared her throat and huffed out a breath. I looked at my hands gripped on the wheel. This was a game we had been playing for years, and I refused to give in. If I gave it a few moments, she'd launch into her spiel, and then I could pretend to listen and nod along.

Sure enough, she started after just a couple seconds of waiting.

"Edward, she's trash. You know it. She's the fucking daughter of a goddamn _cop_. As much as I appreciate our public servants, they are merely that-servants. She's cheap. She wasn't even wearing a fucking bra yesterday, and as much as I know you wanted her pretty little tits all over your face, she's _not. Fucking. Worth it,_" she gritted her teeth, and I risked a look in her direction. One eyebrow was up in her hairline, but the rest of her face held no expression. It was terrifying. I stared at her expectantly, wanting this to be done as soon as possible. "And you see, dearest Edward, I must implore you to find a way to have Alice un-invite this skank _bitch_ from what was certain to be a lovely day before she was extended an invitation." She was examining her nails now, which were obviously flawless and didn't need any second looks.

"Rose..." I wasn't sure what to say. She stared at me with the same bored expression, waiting for me to continue. Looking away, I considered my options. I was about to go the safe route when Emmett started shaking the car, the fucker. Rose shot me a pointed look before exiting the car and jumping into the fucking caveman's arms.

I got out of the car, too many things going through my mind. Aside from a strong desire to see Bella naked, I now had Rose irritated with me-and that was a thoroughly unpleasant combination. _I _hadn't been the one to invite her. Alice just... liked her. Alice was actually a fantastic judge of character, generally, so if she put her stamp of approval on her, it probably meant that she was... acceptable.

I leaned against the Volvo, trying to cultivate a way to please both Alice and Rosalie. There was no way. I could make Rose happy, and piss off Alice, or I could piss off Rose and have Alice be none the wiser. Either way, _I _would not be left happy.

I looked up to find Bella laughing with Alice. Fantastic. They were just the greatest of friends, now, weren't they? I didn't even risk a peek at Rosalie, knowing full well that she'd be either stone faced or shooting daggers at Bella. I knew a good chunk of the reason she didn't like Bella was because of Emmett's quickly growing friendship with her. That, and because she didn't really like anyone, least of all another person in possession of a vagina. She was a judgmental bitch, really.

As soon as the bell rang, I realized I really didn't feel like being at school today. I glanced up to find Alice staring at me curiously, and I silently willed her to understand that I just wasn't feeling it. She gave me a resigned look, nodded slightly to signify that she'd let it slide if I took off. Bella was standing to her left, looking fucking hot and watching the exchange with subtle interest. As if it hadn't happened, Alice turned and flashed Bella a brilliant smile and linked their arms, reaching with her other hand to a nearly sober Jasper. Poor guy. Some days I think he drank just to keep the hangovers away.

Emmett and Rose walked off towards the gym, Em giving me a salute before wiggling his fingers with a wink. I flipped him off in reply. Fucker. I'm fairly certain there isn't a place in Forks that those two haven't fucked yet.

As everyone walked towards their various destinations, I hung back, finally getting in the car when they were all out of sight. I sped out of the parking lot, driving until I was surrounded by trees and quiet forest.

Ditching class was just the best.

**BPOV**

Emmett was fantastic in bed. He fucking had to be. Rosalie only stopped glaring when he whispered in her ear, and she only smiled when he kissed her. Yeah. I'm pretty sure he could do things with his tongue that the average man couldn't.

Edward was weird this morning. He looked exhausted, and that shit between him and Alice was kinda strange. He had barely looked at me-which is saying a lot, because I looked good this morning. I was dressed more conservatively than yesterday, but you bet your ass I still looked damn hot. He hadn't even cracked a smile when he'd glanced at me, and I don't think he said even a word. Alice had dragged me away before I could try to force my books on him, which disappointed me a little. I was further disappointed when he wasn't there at lunch... and even _more _disappointed when he wasn't there during Bio.

The day dragged. With Edward gone, my new friends' group dynamic was off. Rosalie was a bitch, as usual, though it seemed she was more free with her blatant glares. Jasper seemed depressed, and I'm fairly certain he wasn't nearly as drunk today as he had been yesterday. Alice's glow was lessened, as well, and she was slightly less chatty. She still talked a mile a minute a few times, and I struggled to keep her pace. I seriously began to wonder if the girl had caffeine pills or speed stashed in her purse. Emmett seemed to be the only one unaffected by Edward's absence. His doodles today were raunchy as shit, leading me to believe that something nasty happened between him and Rosalie at some point prior to math. Lucky duck. _I _wanted on-campus sex. With Edward. Edward, who was MIA.

Every time Alice brought up the plans for tomorrow, Rosalie's nostrils would flair a little. I smirked each time, too, because pissing Rosalie off without trying was quickly becoming a fun little game. It was so easy I began to wonder if I should ever take her shitty attitude personally, or if she just treated everyone this way.

Alice mentioned that Edward's car was going to be in for maintenance tomorrow, and that we'd need another driver. Jasper pointed out that we'd need two drivers, since I was now joining them.

"Oh! I can't believe I forgot that! Bella, I'm so sorry. I sometimes forget how many of us there are." She smiled brightly at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. I sort of felt the need to extend an invitation to drive, but at the same time, I wasn't sure if my truck could handle the drive to La Push. It was only about forty minutes away, but the thing couldn't really push anything past 45 miles an hour.

"Well, I can drive. Rosie, you could drive, too, baby. Me and the boys could all take the Jeep and you girls can go and blast Spice Girls or whatever it is you do." Emmett winked, and Alice perked significantly at his suggestion.

"Yeah! Rose, it'd be so much fun!"

Rosalie looked like she was trying very hard to contain her expression, and it was almost commendable. Her pretty face looked constipated, and I heard Jasper snicker slightly. She shot a glare in his direction, but he ignored her and addressed Alice instead. "How's about you, me, Cullen and Miss Bella take the Jeep, and Emmett rides with Rose?"

"What? No. You're not driving my Jeep. No way," Emmett exclaimed, his voice practically echoing off the cheap linoleum of the cafeteria. "No one drives my Jeep. Nope." He shook his head defiantly, reminding me of a child who was refusing to eat their vegetables.

Jasper looked unfazed, however, and continued on. "I'm taking the Jeep, and you're riding with Rosalie," he leveled with Rosalie, and she considered this briefly before nodding. Her eyes still looked thoughtful, but she seemed content with this arrangement.

"No! Babe... come on, Jasper can't-"

"No." She looked at him, and shook her head once. His face scrunched up, but the issue was immediately dropped.

Alice grinned again, excited and very nearly vibrating as she usually did. "So it's settled! Emmett, you can head over to Rose and Jasper's in the morning, and then Jasper can pick up Edward and I, then Bella. You and Rose can head out before us, if you want, and we'll meet you there."

"What time is all this happening?" I really hoped that it wouldn't be too early, but I vaguely remembered Alice wanting to spend the _whole _day there. She confirmed my fears of a too early Saturday immediately. "We'll be at your house by eight."

Emmett groaned, throwing a hand in the air. I smiled outwardly, but inside I was groaning just as much as he was.

*******

Bio was lame. There was a partnered activity, and since Edward had decided to skip class, I was left alone. I almost considered faking a stomach ache or something, but realized I could brave the assignment alone. I was smart and capable and independent and... and... and fuck me if I couldn't get Edward out of my fucking head.

Fucking class ditching Edward.

Whatever. I'd be seeing him tomorrow. And he'd be seeing me. Half naked. In the water. Kinda drunk.

I wondered what kind of drunk he was, and part of me secretly hoped he was more touchy-feely than most. I began crafting a plan of sorts; if he _was _a friendly drunk, I'd use the opportunity tomorrow to pull him closer. Perhaps I'd even seduce him... but just a little. I didn't want to get sand in places sand wasn't meant to be in, even though I was pretty sure he'd be worth it. I could only hope that I wouldn't let myself get shitfaced and sloppy, because those were two things that were definitely _not _attractive in the alcohol induced.

I had nonchalantly mentioned to Charlie that I'd be going to the beach with some new friends in the morning, and he'd seemed pleased. We had the standard "be-careful-stay-out-of-trouble" talk right before he asked who I was going with. When I said Alice and Edward's names, his face lit up a little. "Good kids," he managed between bites of food. He didn't say anything further, which I took as a good sign.

I tried to go to bed early, not wanting to wake up to Alice's tiny fists pounding on my front door.

As I drifted off to sleep, Edward's odd expression from the morning floated around my tired mind. That night, for the first time, I dreamt of Edward Cullen.

**EPOV**

**Saturday**

I woke up too early again. It was okay, because today was the beach, and Alice liked to get going early, but shit, 5am was too fucking early. Jasper wasn't supposed to be here until 7:45, and I was fairly certain that he'd relinquish driving duty to me. He'd been drinking more than usual lately, but Alice kept turning a blind eye to it, as if that would make it stop. The things people do for love.

I meandered around the quiet house, unsure of what to do with myself. I went downstairs and ate a bowl of cereal in the dark, trying to avoid dribbling milk all over myself. I chewed without much thought, allowing the crunching sounds to block out any coherent thoughts. When I was finished, I placed my bowl and spoon in the sink, rinsing them. Before I could allow myself to think about anything, I headed upstairs to Alice's room.

I didn't bother knocking, instead opting to just go in. To my knowledge, my cousin didn't sleep in the nude. I certainly hoped that this hadn't changed.

She was peacefully asleep, curled into a tiny ball in the center of her giant mattress. I debated the best way to wake her, considering how irritated she'd be if I just jumped on her. I glanced at the clock before I did anything rash, and I was glad I did-it was only 5:31. I sighed, and climbed gently into her bed, lying on my back a few feet away from her. No sounds came from her tiny frame, and it was hard to tell whether or not she was breathing. She was curled up so tight that I couldn't tell one way or another.

My thoughts finally caught up with me, and every single one of them was somehow connecting itself to Bella. This new girl, this fucking... I didn't even know. She was hot, she was funny, she made me hard in a matter of seconds. She wanted me, of this much I was certain, but did I really want her? I mean, yeah, sure, I wanted to fuck her. Maybe if I hit it one time she'd just disappear from my brain forever, like every other mindless lay I'd had.

I was young, and my desire to settle was... far off. Essentially, that meant I had absolutely no qualms about moving from girl to girl with skilled ease. I didn't care about them. I wasn't really breaking their hearts; we were too young to really understand this whole 'love' concept.

So why did this girl, that I had known less than a week, completely dominate every thought I had? I supposed the easiest conclusion I could draw was that I was infatuated with her. Yes. And to kill any one addiction-was she really an addiction, so soon?-you must acquire another. I just had to find something else that was equally as... _stimulating_.

As I drifted off to sleep, I dreamt of Bella.

I awoke to my face being poked.

"Edward... Eeeedddwarrrrrd.... Time to wake uuup.... Eddie-deadie, wakey wakey!"

I groaned, rolling away from the sound of her voice. "Alice, please, let me-"

"Up!" she shouted, yanking the pillow out from under my head. "You have fifteen minutes before Jasper gets here, and you _will _be ready to go in those fifteen minutes. Now. Wake. Up!" The energy in her voice should have been catchy, but in my groggy state it was simply annoying. I winced as the pillow she had taken away came in contact with my face again, making a muffled thud.

I finally opened my eyes when she lifted it off, only to find that she was holding it over her head with both hands, ready to strike again if I didn't get moving. She had all ready gotten ready, and was dressed in Washington appropriate beach wear-long pants and a sweater. In spite of promise of sun, it was still going to be cold as fuck today. The expression she wore was strictly business, and I knew better than to even _try _to push my luck. She smiled triumphantly as I sat up, and I groaned as she ruffled my hair. She kissed my cheek once before hopping off the bed and dancing off to get herself breakfast. If only we all had the energy of Alice.

Exactly 21 minutes later, we were sitting outside the Police Chief's house. Alice had called Bella before we even got there, letting her know that she had "3 minutes and 27 seconds" before we'd "be arriving for pickup." Alice was odd sometimes.

Bella came running out to the Jeep, and I cursed myself for not wearing something baggier, and I cursed Jasper for not being drunk. He was completely sober, and therefore completely capable of driving. Bella was wearing a loose sweater, but it didn't hide her bouncing tits, and needless to say, the creature hiding in my pants woke up the moment she came bounding down the path.

I clenched my teeth and willed my hard on to go away. Go away. Go _away_.

She laughed as Jasper got out and helped her get her stuff situated in the back of the Jeep. He offered her a hand and she took it with a huge grin, saying good morning to Alice and nearly buzzing as much as she was. I stared at the back of Alice's head and tried to be invisible. I failed.

"Hey, Edward," Bella said. Her voice was confident, but not nearly as much as it had been the day we met. Jasper slammed on the gas, and she laughed as the Jeep roared forward, but her eyes didn't laugh with her. She locked her gaze on me and I nodded curtly to her before looking away. I was being a fucking coward, I'll admit.

I didn't want to be a dick, really. But the dreams I'd had about her... that shit just made me nervous. I wanted to have a good day today, I wanted to laugh with my friends and drink and be a fucking teenager. And that was exactly what I planned on doing.

The drive was okay. Alice insisted on blasting Tegan and Sara the whole way there, and Jasper drummed along on the steering wheel, humming something completely different. Bella stared out the side of the Jeep and I pretended to nap. Because, you know, I could nap with the fucking lesbian double mints droning on about stalking their neighbors Friends-style. Right.

We got there before Emmett and Rosalie, which could only leave me to assume that they'd pulled over for a roadside fuck. Good on them. Wish I had been so lucky. Bella had smelled delicious, all flowery and sweet. It pissed me off even more that I was in such an off mood, and I wish I'd been as excited mentally to see her as I was physically. Emmett wouldn't mind if Bella's pretty legs got spread on his backseat, I'm sure.

Jasper helped Bella out of the Jeep before running over to help Alice down. He pulled the lever to bring her seat forward, and gave me a questioning look. He didn't say a word, because he didn't have to. I shut my eyes and shook my head, feeling the exhaustion that was emanating from my face. Jasper felt it, too, because he raised an eyebrow slightly before nodding. This was our 'guy-code.' This was the "if-you-want-to-talk-I'm-here" signal. I saluted him half-heartedly before jumping down.

We unloaded the Jeep and set everything out next to it while the girls ran towards the ocean. It was still too fucking early to go into the water, though it would be freezing no matter what time they went in. They stopped a few yards short, and sank down into the sand, laughing. I heard Rosalie's car purr up behind me, and turned to find that, sure enough, her hair was a little fucked up. Emmett grinned stupidly as he got out of the car, and a tinge of jealousy raced through me.

"Booze?"

"Hello to you, too, sugar tits." He leaned on the top of the BMW, feigning irritation with his tone, but his smile held fast. Rose rolled her eyes as she exited the vehicle, pulling her short skirt down. Jasper averted his eyes with a wince, and I felt for him. It must be pretty shitty to know any of the details of your sibling's sex life without even being told.

"Tell me there's fucking alcohol," Jasper threatened. Emmett's face took on a surprised look, but he nodded without any prodding. "Yeah, bro. Jaeger, beer, wine coolers for the girls," he winked, clearly amused at this, before continuing. "Some Malibu, bit of vodka, and, of course, Jack for you, my man."

Rose was shooting me a glare, as I expected. I knew what it meant. What the fuck ever. Bella was here. I frowned in return, shrugging a little. She rolled her eyes and flared her nostrils, crossing her arms and leaning against her car. Jasper caught all of this, of course, and leaned towards her, a stern expression on his face.

"Play nice. She's a good girl," he said in a low voice.

Rose's jaw clenched and her posture grew more erect, but she tossed the keys to Emmett before stomping off towards where Alice and Bella were sitting. Emmett looked from Jasper to me for a moment before shaking his head and opening the trunk, extracting a large box of liquor. He handed this to Jasper, who thanked him before promptly following the path his sister had all ready taken. He didn't look at me as he passed, and I breathed out a sigh that was half relief, half disappointment. I hoped that his day wouldn't be terrible, but between my shit mood and Rosalie's overall bitchiness, there wasn't much hope. What little hope there was, however, jumped up and ran to him, and he hastily set down the box before catching and spinning Alice around.

Emmett clamped a hand on my shoulder, chuckling at Alice's exuberance. "Let's get this shit to the beach."

It took three trips to get everything to where the girls were sitting-correction, where _Alice _and _Bella_ were sitting; Rosalie was too good to sit on sand, of course-since it was just Emmett and I doing all the lugging. Soon enough, we had blankets, food, booze, the travel sized grill, umbrellas, sunscreen, towels and beach toys all out and good to go. Alice had insisted that we bring shit to make sand castles, and Jasper had heartily agreed that sand castles were necessary.

"Edward," he'd said, "retain your innocence as long as possible, my brother. You done messed up your childhood enough as is, so what say you to having some kid fun before you're too old to do it anymore?"

I had to admit, he had a point. Fucker.

I tried to ignore Bella's presence, which everyone seemed to feel immediately. Alice gave me questioning looks, Jasper shook his head in between drinks, Emmett kicked sand at me (he pretended it was an accident, but we all knew better), and Rosalie looked pleased, as though it had all been her idea. Bella ignored me in return, but she would glance at me out of the corner of her eye every now and then. I was being such a dick. It was completely unfounded-this girl was a stranger, and she couldn't possibly know the effect she was having on me... could she?

Everyone was pretty drunk by the time noon hit, and the girls were feeling warm enough to strip down to their suits. Bella looked fucking phenomenal, and I'd switched to lying on my stomach. It hurt to do so, but I wasn't up for a bunch of drunken stares and giggles. Fucking Bella in the sand, however, I was up for that. We could lay a towel down. As long as we were careful, we wouldn't get sand in anywhere it shouldn't be...

Emmett dragged Alice and Bella to the water, and they all splashed about and played while Jasper got completely hammered and Rosalie started getting the grill ready. She was an amazing cook, and I knew that was one of the many reasons Emmett adored her. The man was a fucking black hole-he could devour anything.

Jasper tossed the vodka my way and I shook my head. "'Swrong, brother mine?" he slurred out.

"Just not feeling it," I said lamely. I knew that even in his intoxicated state he could see right through me, but he wouldn't push the issue with Rosalie still in hearing range. He nodded at me, then extracted a joint from his pocket. "Green?" he asked.

"Nah, I'm good."

Bella came stumbling back then, eyes wide and hair wet. Drops of water were streaming down her body, and I was in awe of her hips and thighs. Everything about this girl was so fucking perfect. She looked sexy even though she was shivering and covered in goose bumps, and that is a _definite _plus.

"Ooooh, Jasper, care to share?" She plopped down next to him, sending sand spraying into his lap. "Sorry!" she giggled, attempting to half-heartedly brush the sand out of his crotch. I looked over to find Rose's eyes lit up like fire, but Jasper just chuckled and gently pushed Bella's hands away.

"'S'all right, darlin,' don't you fret."

"Jasper! Your drawl is... is... amazing!" Her eyes were bugging out of her head a little, and I looked down to find that three quarters of the vodka was gone, along with a third of the Jäger. Jasper had also given her some of his Jack, which was odd, because he didn't normally share with anyone. To be fair, however, not many of us actually _liked _the stuff... Bella chugged it like a champ. Now, though, she was pretty messy, but it was somehow endearing. She was a cute drunk, I realized. Then I mentally kicked myself.

Jasper laughed at her comment, then pulled a matchbook from his pocket. Bella's eyes popped again and she stared at him, then the matches, then him again.

"I don't find lighters to be of much use," he shrugged. She burst into hysterics again, and he laughed along with her. He lit the joint and took a long drag before passing it to Bella as he shook his match out. She stopped giggling long enough to pull a deeper hit than he had done, and he choked when he saw how much she was inhaling.

"Damn, Miss Bella, you're a goddamn champ. How'd a pretty little thing like you learn to suck like that?" he wiggled his eyebrows at her, and I scowled at the double entendre and the thoughts it evoked within me. Jasper didn't make dirty jokes very often, least of all in front of 'ladies.' Bella found it hilarious, though, and when she finished coughing out the last bits of smoke from her hit, she laughed until tears were forming at the corners of her eyes. Jasper smiled and took another hit before passing it back to her, and again, she inhaled like it was oxygen and she was deprived. This girl was incredible.

When they finished, Jasper's eyes were bloodshot and glassy, but Bella's sparkled. She laid back in the sand, running her fingers through it and pushing it around. Jasper continued to drink, and I asked Rose how long until the food would be ready. I was worried for Jasper, but also for Bella. It's not good to drink and smoke on an empty stomach. I remember that one from experience.

"Well, if you got off your ass and helped, it would be ready sooner, now wouldn't it?"

"Fuck off, Rose." My voice was almost playful, but Jasper tossed a small rock in my direction, nailing my forearm.

"Be nice to my sister. She's an angel," he said, completely serious. I rolled my eyes, and he picked up a bigger rock this time. Bella reached out for his hand, and it took her a few tries before she could finally find it.

"Jasper, don't throw rocks. You could hurt Eddie, and he doesn't like to be hurt." Her voice was so sweet that Jasper smiled and handed her the rock, which she tossed blindly into the sand. She turned her big, intoxicated eyes to me and grinned, and the wall I'd been crafting finally came down. I shook my head and laughed, and her smile grew even larger, which made her eyes get smaller. Jasper nodded with a satisfied smile, taking a drink before getting up to help Rosalie.

"Edward?" Bella asked softly.

"Bella," I replied cautiously.

"Go for a walk with me?" The look on her face was so heartbreaking, I felt like I owed her the world in that moment. Before I could cave to her puppy-face, though, Emmett and Alice came back.

"Baby!" Emmett barked. "Food ready yet?"

Alice crashed into the sand next the Bella, wrapping her arms around her and shivering. Her teeth chattered, and Bella seemed to forget her request. She began squeezing the water out of Alice's short hair, and Emmett shook his head so that he sprayed Rosalie. She promptly smacked him in the stomach.

"Aw, baby, c'mon. It's just a little water," Emmett said, a little hurt shining through his apologetic grin. Rosalie just rolled her eyes, then took off her sweater. She pulled Emmett close, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him with gusto. She didn't do this often, so the happiness radiating off of Emmett's face was almost catching. I snuck a peek at Bella, who was cuddling with Alice while Alice played with her hair. She fit in so well, and I found myself wondering what it would have been like if she'd been apart of our group from the beginning. The fact that I thought this at all scared the hell out of me, and I looked away guiltily when she looked up at me.

Jasper grabbed the paper plates, asking what everyone wanted on their burgers. He served up everything, and I had to admire his coordination. Jasper was probably the most functional drunk I'd ever met, and you'd never guess he was stoned if you didn't see his eyes. He was incredible. He delivered everyone's plates with the practice of a skilled waiter, balancing the flimsy paper on his arms and handing everything off with a brilliant smile. Then, to show that he was still Jasper, he landed with a loud sort of thump in the sand. Good ol' Jasper.

We ate in relative silence, save for the moans of pleasure coming from everyone, Jasper and Bella especially. She ate slowly, pulling her burger apart. It was quite fascinating, and an extreme contrast with how Jasper was eating. He plowed through his burger quickly, and before the rest of us were even halfway done, he was on his second helping. Rosalie yelled at him, but he ignored her, instead turning to Bella and asking if she wanted to smoke some more.

"Yes, please!" Her eyes lit up and it was fucking adorable. My sour feelings towards her started to come back with a vengeance.

Jasper withdrew another joint from his shirt pocket, lighting up and passing to Rosalie first this time. Everyone took a hit this time, and Bella killed it. I'd never seen a joint go so fast in my life.

"Miss Bella, you're a hell of a woman."

She giggled, a stupid little 'tee-hee' sort of affair. "Why thank you, kind sir!" Jasper nodded in response, a slow smile spreading across his face. Emmett guffawed, Rosalie glared, Alice giggled along. I stayed quiet, but no one seemed to notice. Good. Oh shit. Bella noticed. Not good. Abort, abort!

I looked away, not quite hazy enough to really feel it, but I definitely had not been sober for a while. Bella tossed a handful of sand in my direction, missing by about three feet. People under the influence really should be informed of their lack of coordination. I ignored her, and she didn't try again.

Jasper pulled out yet another joint, and when Bella squealed, he shook his head. "No, darlin,' this one's for everyone else. You and me done had our share."

Her eyes got all wide and she pouted a little, and I wanted to take that lip between my teeth so damned bad. She was dangerous, and she didn't have any fucking clue. Unless... she did...

Rose stopped after her second hit, and Alice followed suit. Their tolerance was low enough that it didn't take much for them to relax, and this stuff was pretty primo anyways. Emmett and I ended up passing back and forth until we were both glassy eyed like Jasper, and then Emmett put the roach away for later. I didn't see where he put it, though; I was too focused on the vibrations happening around me.

Jasper gave me a knowing smile, and Emmett demanded to know where the shit came from. Jasper raised a finger to his lips in response, closed his eyes, then fell back into the sand. He laid there with his eyes closed for what felt like forever, and I guess Emmett forgot. Actually, I forgot. Or maybe Jasper forgot. What was I talking about?

We all ended up laying there, near each other but not necessarily touching, watching the clouds and listening to the sea. As the sun started going lower in the late afternoon/early evening sky, Alice clasped hands with Bella and Jasper, pulling them both close to her, and Rose snuggled into Emmett. We didn't really speak, just felt the blissed out-ness of whatever the fuck Jasper had shared with us. We reveled for about three hours before we all started coming down, and then we cracked open more bottles to keep the buzz going. Jasper ran back to the Jeep to get more blankets for fear of the girls getting cold, and Emmett challenged me to a wrestling match.

No matter how often I told him no, he just wouldn't listen. He wouldn't be satisfied until I granted him at least one match, but I just wasn't in the mood. Besides, I really didn't want to fight in the sand. I imagined that it would be a wonderful work out, but I just couldn't take my mind off of Bella long enough to risk my face in a sandy show down. Or, perhaps that would be exactly the way...

"Fine," I grunted. "Let's wrestle. Don't cry when you get sand in your eyes."

"Fuck you and your silly threats, Cullen. Prepare to be slaughtered." All playfulness left his eyes as he got into position, and I found myself briefly reconsidering; Emmett was in a higher weight class than me. I just had to hope that my agility and cunning would help. Because I am the most cunning and agile drunk you will ever meet. Yes sir.

Jasper made it back as we started circling, handing off warmth to all the girls, who were watching excitedly from the sidelines. He demanded we start properly, telling us we had to shake hands.

"Come on, Jasp-"

"Shake," Jasper commanded with authority, pulling out yet another fucking joint and his trusty matchbook. I gaped at him. I hadn't seen him smoke this many times in a single day in a loooong time. He shrugged at me. "It's Beach Day."

I rolled my eyes and leaned forward in a crouched stance, arm extended. Emmett followed suit, and we slapped palms and Jasper gave the okay, irritation inching into his voice. He was always touchy about proper handshakes.

We circled and circled, lower, higher, lower. Rosalie got bored fairly quickly, but I saw Bella watching with intense interest from the corner of my eye. It thrilled me to know that she was watching me so intently, and I made the mistake of turning my gaze a centimeter more. The only warning I had was Alice's wide eyes as Emmett lunged at me and took me down. I was stunned for a second before I could move again, but he'd knocked the wind out of me. My concentration was off, damn it. Goddamn Bella.

We shuffled around in the sand, shoving it into each other's eyes and grunting and pulling and ouchfuckdamn! Jasper called foul a bit late, as Emmett's left hand had all ready taken out a good chunk of my hair, I was certain. I elbowed him in the gut, and somehow his knee found my face. Bella gasped and made a move to reach forward, but Alice grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

The match finally ended when my nose started bleeding and Jasper was laughing so hard he actually fell over. Bella looked like a little girl, eyes all wide with panic and pot and damn, she was so pretty. She rushed over as soon as Alice let go of her. She began stroking my face and she was panting and I could feel a problem beginning in my shorts. Rosalie snorted, and I saw Jasper smirking a little from the corner of my eye.

"Bella, I'm fine."

"You're bleeding!" She was observant, I'll give her that.

"I'll be right back, okay?" I pulled her hands from my face, attempting to keep my nose plugged, and she looked down, eyes sad and hurt. Fuck. I glanced over at Jasper, who was pulling that wise face bullshit he likes to do, and he held a fresh bottle of vodka up to me. Liquid courage. Thanks bro.

I leaned down and grabbed the bottle, drinking the equivalent of a couple shots before handing it back to him. I made that strange gasping/choking noise people sometimes make after a shot, but it wasn't so much the alcohol that made it happen as the blood that went down my throat with it.

I considered my options. I couldn't exactly run away. Bella looked all sad and even though I was certain her attention would wander the second Alice dragged her down into the sand, I just wasn't sure if that's what I wanted. I liked that she was concerned, but it also freaked me out. Perhaps she was only concerned because she was all doped up. Perhaps I'd pushed myself past my limits and I was beginning to overanalyze everything in my fucking sight.

The alcohol was swimming in my bloodstream again, and I felt my skin begin to heat up. I was still bleeding, and it was probably because of how much I'd drank all ready. Emmett was laughing, completely unapologetic. He was sitting with Rosalie stretched out next to him, and he was proclaiming himself 'the champion.' Rose looked like she was doing her damndest to ignore the way Bella and I were interacting. She was angling her body towards Emmett, and he was attempting to be slick as he slid his hand under her blanket. Alice was snuggling into Jasper's lap, and he was stroking her hair and singing Bob Dylan to her.

I glanced out at the ocean, knowing the salt water would probably be good for my faucet nose, in spite of how fucking dirty the water was. Fish piss in the sea, you know. The sky was getting darker, and it was getting colder, but I was fucking warm and the water wouldn't really sting if I was quick. I closed my eyes, weighing out my options.

I looked at Bella again, and she hadn't yet forgotten. Her face was smooth now, and a Cheshire smile crept across her face for no reason in particular. I probably looked like shit, with my bloody nose and all... but... Yeah. I liked this option. Before I could change my mind, I held out my free hand to her. She got confused, and I shook it insistently.

"Bella, would you like to go for a swim with me?"

* * *

**ENDNOTES**: Jeez, that Edward is such a jerk, isn't he? I'd let him take me swimming ANY day, though... ;)

Leave me some love?


	6. Chapter 6 NSotB Pt II

**A/N:** So, this chapter was a horror to write, and I have a million terrible excuses-you know, Bella wouldn't talk to me because she was too high, and I had a hellof a time dragging the chapter out of her, Edward's kind of a jerk when he's drunk and I didn't enjoy seeing him with a bloody nose, I almost wrote an entire chapter dedicated to Emmett's body (after admiring photos of Kellan Lutz frolicking on the beach, of course)... etc. So... uh... Erm... We'll just get right to the chapter, shall we?

P.S. Do you take lemon in your water?

P.P.S. I don't own these people. I wouldn't mind seeing Edward in a collar, though...

* * *

**BPOV**

"Bella, would you like to go for a swim with me?"

I looked at his hand, which was shaking a little. Was it shaking because I was high or because he was unsure of himself? The blood coming out of his nose was making me queasy, and I started laughing. Edward was bleeding, and I was queasy.

Bleedy, meet queasy. Like the seven dwarves on crack. I continued to cackle at my inner monologue.

His eyes narrowed and he started to move away from me, turning around and lumbering toward the water. "Bleedy!" I yelled. I started laughing even harder before I ran and launched myself at his back. He nearly fell, but managed to steady himself.

"The fuck is wrong with you, Swan?" he spat out at me, struggling to hold me with one hand while the other clutched his still bleeding nose. We were in the water suddenly, and I clung to his back with everything I had as he waded deeper.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, nestling my face into his hair, smelling him, _feeling_him. His hair was so soft, I reached up and grabbed a handful, pulling gently. I had dreamed about touching this hair. It was softer than I'd thought it'd be. It always seemed like it would be... coarser, if only because he was constantly pulling it.

"Edward," I whispered, attempting to sound serious, "your nose is bleeding."

He turned his face just enough to look at me with anger and slight surprise, and I grinned at him. He let go of me, and I squeezed my legs tighter around his waist. "No sir, no you don't." I ran a hand down his chest as I clung to him. "Your body feels too good to let go of." Shit, the things I say when I'm out of sorts. Once, at a party, I got so hammered that I'd announced to the water polo team that I was open for business... I learned to shut up after that. Or so I thought.

I giggled again, and his jaw started twitching. "Edward," I whispered again.

"Yes, Bella?" he asked through gritted teeth. The firmness of his jaw didn't fool me. His breathing was ragged under my touch. I licked my lips before trying again.

"Edward," I whispered, brushing my nose against his ear. "Is there anywhere quiet on this beach? Someplace where we could go talk?"

_Was_ he shivering? Why was he shivering? I giggled again. I realized that he was up to his chest in water, which meant most of me was in water, too. The water was freezing... I think. I wiggled my toes and felt everything get a little hazy. I absently made circles with my fingers on Edward's beautiful chest, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake. I looked out at the water, and it was beautiful. Small ripples danced across the surface, and I sighed as the warm body below me grew steadily cooler.

I looked down at his face again, and he appeared to be considering something. He'd let go of his nose, and it was no longer bleeding. His jaw was twitching again, and his eyes were narrowed in concentration, brows drawn together. He thought for what seemed like forever, and then his face finally relaxed. He shook his head slightly. Why was he shaking his head?

"Bella, I'm going to take you back to the edge of the water. I have to clean the blood off my face, then we'll go find someplace... to _talk_," he snickered this last part, and another uncontrollable giggle escaped me. Silly boy. Did he really believe I wanted to do more than talk right now?

I didn't have the heart to tell him that, yes, I really _did_just want to talk. I'd woken up this morning to a nice... surprise. I was fucking pissed, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. I'd known to expect it, but really, did my body need to remind me of my woman-ness on today, of all days? Of course, it was a great incentive to not try to jump Edward before I really knew him. I still wanted to have a cleaner reputation here, and I couldn't pull that off if I started screwing everyone in sight, however much I knew I _needed_to get laid. Plus, there was still the matter of his pushing and pulling.

Here one day, ran away the next? As much as I didn't want to believe I'd caused him to skip school, I couldn't forget the way he'd eyed me before he left that day. Alice later told me in class that Edward sometimes just took off, just to clear his head. She said he had a tendency to get extremely stressed sometimes. Was I stressing him out?

He brought me back to the water's edge, setting me down almost gingerly. I reached up and brushed my fingers down his nose; I couldn't help it. I needed to touch him, even if the blood still made me nauseous. His eyes fluttered momentarily at my gesture, then he turned away. Once he was deep enough, he dropped his entire body into the water, causing me to giggle yet again. He resurfaced, shaking his head hard to get the water out of his hair.

It. Was. Fucking. Hot.

I shifted my body, realizing that it was cold. As much as I wanted to watch Edward's body coming back towards me from the water, I needed to get a blanket. I watched him a moment longer. Water streamed down his defined chest, down his stomach, down into the seams of his trunks. Because of the water, the trunks clung to his body, and heat coursed through my own as I caught sight of the silhouette of his manhood in them. It made me shudder. Even in spite of the cold water, he was packing something impressive. Once again, I fought the urge to reach out and touch him.

I turned around and started marching to where the others were, vaguely aware of the sand moving between my toes. It felt magnificent. As I approached the rest of the group, I saw that Emmett's hands were still under the blanket, and a look of peace was floating across Rosalie's pretty face. Lucky bitch. Alice was still curled into a ball, her head in Jasper's lap, and he was still singing Dylan to her. He'd stripped down to a beater at some point, I guess while we were in the ocean. I watched the muscles in his arm as he reached over Alice for a beer that was seated in the sand. Something about his arms was off. I squinted, looking closer. I felt my eyes go wide, and I was suddenly very unsure of what I was seeing. I gasped when I realized that yes, I _was_seeing it. A million different thoughts ran through my brain, trying to work out what exactly had made his arms look like that. Upon closer inspection, I noticed they spread up to his neck, as well, and disappeared below the hems of his beater. Fear tugged at me for my new friend, amassed with a heavy amount of worry.

He looked up at me as he took a swig, his own eyes squinted. I looked down in embarrassment, and when I looked up again, he was humming softly and petting Alice's head. He looked right in my eyes, and a nervous blush overtook me. Before I could say anything or give an apologetic glance, two strong arms were suddenly around my waist, and I squealed as giggles overtook me yet again. Rosalie opened her eyes and scowled at us, but Emmett and Alice smiled. Jasper's face remained stoney, and a wave of guilt overtook me. I hadn't meant to ogle him the way I had. My flight instinct kicked in, and I tried to turn to face Edward, but he held me tightly. Water was dripping off of him, freezing every part of my body that it touched. He rested his head on my shoulder, tipping his chin down and staring blatantly down at my chest.

"Swan," he breathed in my ear, "you're gonna get frostbite if we don't get you bundled up soon."

My eyes closed very briefly and I sighed shakily, and when I opened them again, he'd let me go. He moved to where Alice and Jasper were, picking up two huge beach towels and a large blanket. He wobbled back over to me and wrapped a towel around me, rubbing my arms to warm me up again. I smiled gratefully at him, and he winked in response.

He wrapped his own towel around himself, the held out a hand to me. I accepted it, and we moved away from our friends.

"Behave!" Alice shouted after us.

I grinned at her over my shoulder, sticking my tongue out. She laughed, and Jasper finally smiled at the sound. It made me feel better to see him smile again, and when I met his eyes, he smiled warmly at me before going back to petting Alice. I felt loads better, even if I was still worried for him.

We moved slowly across the beach, silently. It was becoming colder and colder, and I realized finally that I was coming down. When I started shivering, Edward stopped me and wrapped the blanket around us. He wrapped one arm around my waist, and I mimicked his action, loving the feel of his warm skin against me. He held the blanket closed with his other hand. When I looked up at him, he had that concentrated look on his face again, as though he were debating something with himself. He noticed me looking and gave me a small smile before nodding towards a small, moderately secluded strip of land.

There were trees and brush all around, and if I'd still been high, it probably would've scared the shit out of me. Everything was starting to look black as night descended upon us.

Edward pulled us so that we were sitting in a tiny dune of sorts, wrapping the large blanket around us and bringing me close to him. I could feel the thrum of his heart in his chest, and it gave away what his breathing didn't: Edward was nervous. I got smug at the thought. The golden boy was _nervous_.

I couldn't recall a time yet when I'd seen him nervous, and a thrill shot through me. I was _winning_. Victory was going to be outrageously sweet, when the time came. I'd never wanted anyone sexually the way I wanted him. Granted, I was still very young, but the hormones that he spiked created a high that was purely biochemical, and _that_was a high I wouldn't be coming down from anytime soon.

I wiggled a little closer to him, and he squeezed me tighter. His arms felt delicious. I leaned my head against him, and I could've sworn I felt him smell my hair. I guess he enjoyed my salty goodness?

"So, Bella," he began. I could still smell the alcohol on his breath, and I remembered that he'd downed a couple chugs of vodka before we'd gone in the water. He couldn't possibly be sober right now. Was that why he was being so friendly? Realization dawned on me, and I felt a little panicked. His voice was kind of gruff, though, and it turned me on to hear him speak lowly like that. "What would you like to talk about?"

I had half a mind to smack the cocky out of his voice, but before I could say anything, one of his thumbs was running up and down my stomach. My breathing picked up a little, and I momentarily forgot my fears and that I shouldn't be doing this.

_Yes, fuck yes!_My body screamed. So long. It had been _so long_.

I snuggled against him more, and was rewarded with the sound of his breathing growing heavier. I turned my mouth into his neck, my lips touching it but not kissing him. I could feel his pulse pounding as I breathed hot and cold against his throat, and then not one but two hands were rubbing my stomach. I could feel his jaw clenching on top of my head, and he was breathing loudly through his nose. He nudged my head with it, and I pulled back to find him staring at me with heavy lids. I was positive that my expression matched his own.

"Bella," he whispered, licking his lips. He looked me square in the eye. "Would you mind terribly if I took advantage of you?"

I chuckled, a low, almost guttural sound. This boy was driving me mad. I turned enough so that I could splay a hand on his chest and push him away slightly.

He frowned at my action. I bit my lip and his nostrils flared again.

Mmm. I was really enjoying turning him on. Justin had never reacted like this. He was always down for the action, but the buildup was never his strong suit. A girl liked to be warmed up first, you know? Foreplay is absolutely necessary, and most of the time, it's hotter than the actual fucking. Scratch that-it's _always_hotter than the actual fucking. Especially when it's a slow, intense buildup... Edward knew what he was doing. This cemented it. I _had_to have him. _Just not tonight._

I shrugged out of his grip, smacking his hands away as he tried to grab me again. "Ah ah ah. Down boy," I whispered. He groaned somewhere low in his throat, and it sounded close to a growl. I wanted to hear that noise again, desperately, but tonight just wasn't the night.

I decided I could push things a little further, but not by much. As long as I remembered my personal limitations, this could actually be quite fun. I could bring him to an edge he didn't know he had, and then I could pull back. I'd have to forget my planned interrogation for another evening.

Yeah. Leave the bastard wanting more. _Stress_him a little.

I smirked at him and his eyes smiled back at me, sexy and dark. I moved so that I was straddling him, and he brought his hands to my hips to pull me down.

"No, Edward," I whispered. I grabbed fistfuls of his hair, gently, and brought my mouth to his ear. "Not yet." He groaned again, and I arched up to rub my tits in his face. His tongue traced the space between them, and I fought to not moan-I only wanted to encourage so much.

He spread his fingers wide on my back then clawed me, again trying to drag me down to sit on top of him. I pulled his hair harder this time. He needed to know who was in charge. _Not him._And in spite of being dangerously close to giving in to him, I knew I could still hold my own. To prove this to myself, I stared sternly into his eyes. His mouth was slightly ajar and he panted as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. I smirked again, realizing just how fun this could be.

I moved my mouth to his, breathing against his lips as I had with his throat. Mmm. Edward's mouth.

He pushed up to kiss me, thrusting his pelvis up at the same time, and I dropped his mouth to my throat the second his erection touched me. Mother_fucker_. I moaned when he nipped lightly at my neck. Yes. No, shit! Damn it. This couldn't go much further.

It wasn't even the right week. Thanks a lot, Eve. Fuck up this amazing opportunity for gratuitous nudity, all for an apple; dumb bitch.

I rolled my body against him, just once, just enough make him dig his nails into my back again. His breathing was out of control now, and he thrust up against me once more, causing me to moan again. I'd never wanted a boy more than I did in this single moment, and as he brought a hand up to my chest, I felt my knees go weak. Instead of groping me or pinching my nipples, he put his palm directly on my sternum. His other hand mirrored this position on my back, and the heat radiating between his hands was becoming unbearable.

I wasn't supposed to give him this control. I had to fight this. I was in no position to-

"Bella," he whispered, running his nose along my jaw. "I want to taste you."

_FUCKINGHELLFORTHELOVEOFALLTHATISHOLY!_

My heart began pounding rapidly in my chest, and he moved his hand up to throat, pulling me down to his mouth again. As much as I wanted to let him have his way with me, as _sexy_ as his admission was, _now was not the fucking time_.

I swear, the whole fucking universe was against me.

He dragged his thumb below my jaw, and I wanted it. I wanted it so bad I could've screamed. My body was shaking with desire, and the heat between us was burning my skin. I wanted nothing more than to rip off his trunks and take him into my hands and feel the weight of him before impaling myself on him. I wanted to explore his glorious body, to lick every inch of his pretty skin, to count every freckle. I wanted to tell him every naughty thing I wanted to do to him, and I wanted to watch his face when he heard me describing my idea of the perfect night.

"Edward," I gasped out instead. How I didn't lose my mind in that moment, I have no idea. He was busying himself by licking the other side of my neck, the side he wasn't on the verge of choking. I knew it was dangerous to deter a man who was simultaneously biting and squeezing your throat, but I had to... make... him... "Stop."

He chuckled against my throat, his lips and cool breath making me moan again. "S'that what you want?" he whispered. "You want me to stop?" The hand on my back started traveling south, his fingers inching closer and closer to my ass. I lifted his face to mine again. Just as he was reaching his destination, I stared directly into his eyes. All movement halted as we breathed heavily into each other's faces. The tips of his fingers were barely in the fabric of my bikini, and I was just barely on the edge of saying screw it and begging him to screw _me_. I leaned my chest into him but pulled my hips away, slowly moving into a standing position.

His eyes got darker, a slow smirk playing on that beautiful mouth of his. I knew exactly what he was thinking, and it pissed me off to no end that I had to turn this down.

"Not tonight," I whispered, sadly shaking my head. "Not yet."

**EPOV**

She stood, pulling away from me, half naked in her bikini and glowing in the moonlight. Not tonight? The fuck? Why the hell not? I'd felt her heart pounding in her throat. I'd felt her giving in and trying to regain control of the situation. She wanted to be in control, but she still wanted it. So why was she pulling away?

The pain in my dick shot up tenfold as I observed her nipples through her bikini top and the goose bumps trailing down her hips. I reached forward and grabbed them, wanting to show her just how much I wanted her. She placed her hands firmly on my shoulders, shaking her head and stepping back.

"Not yet," she repeated, more sternly this time. I couldn't help but notice the irritation in her voice. Was she irritated that I wasn't stopping, or was she irritated that she_was_ stopping? I'd have to investigate this further at some point. I was highly aware of the fact that she wanted me. Her body was completely responsive to every movement we'd made, and her nipples weren't hard from the cold. Well, not _just_the cold, at least. Her lips were swollen, her skin flushed. She was probably soaking that little bikini bottom. I eyed the space between her hips, pleased to recognize that she kept herself smooth. Why were we stopping, again? I frowned up at her, and she smiled slightly. She took a deep, composing breath, then shrugged at me before offering her hands to help me up.

I accepted, confused though I was. As she pulled me and the blanket and towels fell to the ground at my feet, I tried one last time to turn things in my favor. I was going to pull all the stops if I had to. Every single fucking one. I wanted this girl, and I wasn't used to being turned down. Victoria had _begged_me. Jessica had bribed me. I would _not_go down without a fight.

I wrapped an arm around her waist again, flexing against her. I put my other hand in her hair, mimicking the way she'd pulled my own, drawing her mouth close to my own. This time, I _did_get into her bikini, and I squeezed her ass hard as I ground my dick into her hip. Her eyes rolled into her head and I nuzzled her cheek, willing her to look at me again. When she didn't, I moved my mouth to her forehead.

"I want to make you scream," I said against her forehead. "I want to see what you look like when you're begging me to let you come," I breathed against her ear. "I want to feel you squeezing my cock with your pretty little pussy," I panted against her cheek. She moaned again, making my dick jump, and she shoved her hip into it while her hands scratched down my back. "I want to lick you clean after you've come all over me," I whispered against her mouth.

Her eyes flew open, and she stared up at me through her lashes. We swayed against each other, pulling each other closer and panting. Her breath was a hot contrast against the freezing Washington night, and if it weren't so cold and there wasn't so much fucking beach around us, I would've dropped her right there and pounded her ass into the sand. Hell, if she'd let me, I'd fuck her right then anyway.

I squeezed her ass harder, wanting to spank her but not able to because how tight her bottoms were. She dropped her head against my chest, moaning softly. Somehow, her hands were suddenly not on my back but in front of her face, and she was pushing me away.

No! Nooo! My dick cried. Please, no!

I sucked in a frustrated breath as she pulled away from me. She shook her head at me and gave me an apologetic smile that still managed to be sexy, then stepped around me and bent over to pick up a towel. The rejection was the final sobering blow, and all traces of alcohol burned out of my system in that moment. This time, I did smack her ass, out of horniness and sheer frustration. I was going to have blue balls, which was just thrilling. And here I thought _I_was indecisive.

She yelped, and the evil pieces inside of me rejoiced at the sound. A glare over her shoulder told me she was not amused, and I resisted the urge to grind myself into her ass. I smirked at her, not wanting her to see the second guessing I was doing mentally. She shoved the towels at me and wrapped the blanket around herself, then started to walk away without me.

"Hey!" I called after a moment, jogging a few paces to catch up. This girl was all over the place. Moving too fast, stopping too soon, walking away too quickly. Such a cock tease. Such a beautiful, confusing cock tease. She looked up at me as she halted and shrugged the blanket on, and I wrapped the towels around myself. They were still wet, so of course they were freezing. She knew this, and rolled her eyes, offering me the blanket. I took it, finally allowing my face to show my frustration.

She shook her head silently, still not willing to tell me why the fuck she was passing up the chance to fuck me. Okay, that sounds very cocky, but to my credit, I _am_great in bed. I've managed to give more girls their first orgasm than most men ever have, and I knew for a fact they weren't faking it. The key to knowing when a girl is faking it is to pay attention to her physical respon-

"Cullen, where the fuck you been? The girls are freezing, Rose is ready to go." I rolled my eyes at Emmett's hulking form. Rose was ready to leave. Yeah, of course she was, the killjoy. I was ready to fucking explode. All over Bella. Bella, who was giggling as Emmett got close enough to offer her his hand. Fucker.

He took note of her shivering form as he extracted her from our blanket, and quickly yanked off his sweater for her. She thanked him and accepted it. I glared at him over her struggle to pull it on. He had no right to be chivalrous towards _my_-my what, exactly? What was she to me?

He narrowed his own eyes at me, jerking a thumb towards where we'd been all day. Everyone was gone, as was all of our stuff. I looked to where the cars were, and could see a light on inside Rose's.

"You're driving my Jeep," Emmett said seriously. I nodded, understanding why. Jasper was probably so shitfaced he could barely walk. "Rose is too tired to drive, so I'm driving her car again."

"Same seating as before?" Bella piped up, finally having managed to get the sweater on properly.

Emmett laughed and nodded, then gave me a serious eye again. His voice lowered, though I'm not certain why. Only Bella and I could hear him. "There's a bag in the back seat, Alice knows to have it ready. Bells," he turned to address her directly, "you're sitting up front with Cullen. Cullen," he turned back to me dramatically. I snickered, and his eyes flared. "You better fucking drive the speed limit. I swear to hell if you make Jasper blow chunks in my car, I'll gut you." I rolled me eyes again. "Got it?"

"Yes, Emmett." I held my hand up in the boy scout salute, straightening my spine out. "I solemnly swear that I will not cause Jasper to puke in your Jeep." I knew Emmett was wary of drunken Jasper in the Jeep, but I was positive Rosalie had all ready told him flat out that she wouldn't be driving Jasper home. It made little sense in the logical way of looking at things, but the BMW's upholstery _was_far more costly than the Jeep's. And though they were the closest of siblings, Rosalie wouldn't think twice about throttling her brother for fucking her car up.

We made it back to the vehicles and Rose gave Bella an icy glare as we passed her car. She was pissed about the sweater. 'It's a fucking sweater,' I wanted to yell. I resisted, of course, but it wasn't without great effort. I was practically seething right now. I did my best to maintain my sense of control, but whatever the fuck had just happened with Bella was making my skin crawl. I'd given in, I'd told her how much I wanted her... and she fucking turned me _down_. I was ready to get on my knees for that girl, and she _turned me down_. I shook my head disgustedly and spat on the ground. What a fucking _bitch_.

Jasper was spread out in the back seat of the Jeep, Alice giggling in his lap. He was tickling her... I think. I hoped that's all he was doing, at least. I opened Bella's door for her, averting my eyes from her in extreme irritation. I was, however, grateful that Emmett had put the top on the Jeep. The last thing I needed was the girls complaining about how cold they were.

Jasper was singing again, off key this time, and it was Fleetwood Mac. Alice hummed along, and they played with each other's hands.

"Edward, pop in some Fleetwood, can ya?" I turned to deny his request, to tell him that they weren't present in my iPod, but Bella spoke before I could.

"Yeah! Rumours is incredible!" They began discussing the amazingness of the album, and I tuned them out as I slammed Bella's door behind her. I spoke briefly with Emmett, receiving another lecture about driving the speed limit, then told him to drive safe as well.

When I got into the driver's seat, Bella had plugged her own iPod in, and, sure enough, Rumours was playing through the speakers. Her and Jasper were singing along to "Go Your Own Way," and it was very clear that Alice didn't know the words. She merely bobbed her head along with them.

Bella's singing voice was interesting. She had a deeper, throatier sound than I would've imagined, and she wasn't quite in tune, but the uniqueness of her voice was actually quite pleasant. She had sort of a Janis Joplin thing going on. I felt myself calming at the sound very quickly, and what anger remained I tried to push down deep inside. She smiled at me when I put my arm on the back of her seat and threw the car into reverse, and I gave her a tight smile in return. My expression wasn't lost on her, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she went back to singing, leaning towards the window and staring out at the forest.

When we were a couple miles out, I began singing along softly as well, and she eyed me in surprise. I winked at her, having finally relaxed. Ah, she hadn't pegged me as a singer, either. I remembered to file that away for later. Most girls loved it when you sang to them, and it appeared that Bella was one of those girls. I'd have to use that to my advantage if-no, _when-_I decided I was ready to get her.

Now that she had turned me down, she'd lit a fire in me that I wasn't ready to put out. I hadn't had a good chase like this with a girl since... ever. The challenge was thrilling, I'll admit. I'd never had to go out of my way. I'd never actually _wanted_to, either. But Bella... she was bringing something primal forward in me. I'd never wanted to fuck anyone more than I'd wanted to fuck her. She'd be my undoing, I was certain. I glanced sidelong at her, and she was facing the backseat and crooning along with Jasper. I gripped the wheel tighter, shaking my head. Fuck.

The drive home was filled with sing-a-longs and laughter, like we were in some sort of road movie or something. It probably would've been fun if I wasn't so conflicted. I did my best to mind the speed limit, but once Jasper assured me that he was getting close to sober again, I resumed close to normal speed. I eventually caught up to Emmett, and he braked a couple of times to let me know how pissed he was that I'd sped. I flashed the high beams at him and Rosalie's blonde head popped out of the window, scowling at me. I barked out a laugh when she flipped me off, but there'd probably be some sort of hell to pay later.

When we arrived back at Rose and Jasper's, I paid careful attention to Bella's face. It was clear that she wasn't expecting the sight before her-the old Victorian house was obviously quite ancient. Esme had helped Dorothy Hale renovate it extensively, but there were still several pieces of the house that appeared more than a little dilapidated. I wondered what she thought of the juxtaposition of Rosalie's car with the house-would it strike her as odd? Would she wonder where the car came from, how it was afforded when it was clear the house still needed so much work? Would she care at all?

Jasper removed himself from the vehicle, but not before kissing Alice, then Bella's hand, then the back of my head. "Night, all," he said simply as he hopped out. He swaggered over to the passenger side of the BMW to open the door for his sister, and she took his outstretched hand willingly. Again, I noted Bella's expression. She looked positively shocked. This wasn't much of a surprise to me, but she had to know that Jasper and Rose were close. I supposed it could still be rather off putting to see a bitch like Rosalie accepting chivalry from any man.

I started to move to get into the backseat with Alice, but Emmett yelled at me that I was still going to drive. He walked Rose to the door, and Jasper disappeared inside before their kiss. Bella attempted to casually look away, but I saw a hint of longing on her face. _Well, she had her shot at affection on the beach, had she not?_I thought bitterly. So why was she going on girl on me now?

I glanced in the rearview to find Alice starting to doze. Poor girl used up a lot of energy stock when she subjected her body to the horrors of teen boozing and drugging. Part of me is certain she only indulges because the rest of us do, but part of me is convinced she does it to be closer to Jasper. It made me sad to see her putting herself at risk for him, but what little of a romantic there was in me felt renewed hope every time I saw her doing something like that for him. I also knew that he would never allow anything bad to happen to her, and that was perhaps the foremost reason that I continued to let her join us in our activities.

The drive to Bella's house was mostly quiet, save for the very end. Emmett pulled Alice close to him while she slept. "Keeping her little body from being thrown all over the goddamn place," he explained. Made sense enough to me. His Jeep wasn't exactly a smooth ride. I smirked as I snuck a peek over at Bella, and much to my joy, her chest was bouncing right along.

Once we arrived at Bella's, after nearly hitting a squirrel and Bella screaming and Alice waking up more confused than I've ever seen her, Bella gave me an apologetic glance. Everything I'd been attempting to deal with seared through my body with that look. My face must've displayed all of my frustrations, because she looked away sheepishly. Emmett began to get out to help her with her stuff, but I shook my head at him and got myself out instead.

I walked around the back of the Jeep. I was trying to work out what I should say to her, if anything at all. I didn't owe her any explanations, but her company was undeniably a great addition to my friends. Save for Rosalie, of course. If I did anything to fuck up the friendship Alice was creating... she might just kill me. Alice always wanted more friends. She never talked about it, because we were all so close and tight knit, but I knew. As much as we all loved each other... sometimes, you needed someone from the outside to come in and shake things up a bit.

Bella was our variable. I could all ready see it. She was important to the group dynamic now. And she'd managed it in a time span that would make anyone who'd ever tried to infiltrate us supremely jealous, not to mention curious as to how she'd managed it. Maybe she was a spy. Yeah. That would explain everything. She was an undercover agent. She was sexy, smart, funny, and really good at pretending to be sixteen and getting in with the right group of people. She was infiltrating us so that... so she could... fuck, was I _actually_having this train of thought?

I glared at her. She looked up at me and sighed, then shook her head.

"Cullen, look. Sometimes, a girl just can't fuck, okay?" I raised my eyebrows at her, willing her to continue. To my great delight, she obliged. "It's not that I didn't want to," she whispered, stepping closer to me. She smelled like Emmett since she was still in his sweater, and that was irritating. Her small hands reaching up to stroke my face? Not so much.

"I definitely wanted to." I let go of a deep breath. She ran her nose against my jaw, making it tense up. A flurry of thoughts began pulsing through my brain. Maybe I could bring her home with me. Fuck her into my mattress. Fuck her on my kitchen table. Fuck her in the theater room. Fuck her in the maze.

"But I'm not a whore."

She pushed off my chest, yanking her bag away from me and running up the path to her front door. She was in and the porch light was off before I could even register what had just happened. Emmett banged on the window of his Jeep, and I turned to glare at him. He flipped me off and mouthed for me to hurry the fuck up.

I slammed the door as I got in, ignoring Alice and Emmett's questions. As if being turned down weren't enough, she thought she'd be a whore if we had sex? Fantastic. One more obstacle to overcome. How on earth was I going to get into this girl's pants? And what if Alice was right? What if I wanted Bella a little more than I knew? Shit, what _did_I want? I didn't want her to think sex with me would make her a whore, that's for sure.

* * *

**Endnotes: **Let me know how you dig it, darlings. Your feedback is more helpful than you could ever know.

And, in case anyone was curious? NSotB = Non-Sex on the Beach. Aunt Flo is a cruel woman, you know.


	7. Chapter 7 Panties, Cramps & Creeps

**Twilight's not mine.**

**P.S. Bella enjoys the pharmaceutical side of things in this chapter, just a heads-up. There's also an allusion to violence.**

* * *

**BPOV**

I awoke the next morning to a pounding headache. To say I was hung over from the previous day would be... putting it mildly.

I moved into the bathroom and groaned. While I had showered the night before, I hadn't done anything with my hair afterwards, and now it resembled a very poorly made bird's nest. In the mirror, I found that the dark circles under my eyes looked deeply set in, and I looked like I hadn't slept in days. The ache in my limbs as I attempted to stretch reminded me of how tight Edward's grip had been. Edward...

Would he be pissed at me for turning him down? I debated whether or not I should tell him why. Now that I was completely clear again, I wondered what I could possibly say. 'Gee, sorry, I was bleeding from my vagina that day' just didn't sound like a nice excuse. Well, it didn't sound very tactful, at least. I could be honest with him if he asked me point blank, but I got the feeling he wouldn't. He would probably assume I was a royal bitch, and a definite tease. Both of which I could work to my advantage at a later date, when I was no longer going through an economy-sized box of tampons and feeling like I'd swallowed the Stay-Puff marshmallow man.

Not to mention the fucking cramps.

I rifled through the medicine cabinet, desperate for some Midol, but apparently my stock had run dry. I clutched at my stomach, trying to mentally will the pain away, but it refused to subside. I groaned again, realizing that I'd have to actually go _out_to pick some up. Fuck.

I grumbled all the way back to my room, trying not to throw up as the scent of eggs wafted up the stairs to assault my nostrils. Charlie made a mean omelet. In fact, it was one of the _only_things he could make. But now was _so_ not the time for eggs. No eggs, no pickles, nothing with vinegar, no movies with blood, no stilettos, no steak, no tight clothing.

No fun.

I was like a pregnant lady from hell when I was on my period. I'd crave the weird foods, but stay away from most of the normal ones. And it took a couple days, but once the bloat and cramping hit, I was officially miserable to be around. I pitied Charlie, because he wouldn't _want_ to know that I was going through my time of month, but he'd still know. I wouldn't put any added discomfort on him by asking him to get Midol for me, but I was still going to be a pain in the ass for the next couple days.

Back home in Phoenix, Renee had of course understood what I was going through, having been the reason I'd inherited these awful symptoms. She'd let me stay home from school a couple days each month, she'd bought me gallons of Mocha Almond Fudge and Pistachio ice cream, along with limes and caramel sauce. She knew what sweats, a perpetual frown and endless moaning meant. Charlie wouldn't understand, and would no doubt be terrified of my estrogen-induced state. The thought of crying in front of him because we were out of pain relief scared even me, and I tried to use that as my motivation as I dug out my ratty old gym sweats and shirt from Phoenix.

I would get dressed, I would go out, I would get my _own_Midol. My mother was not here to take care of me me, and I would not beg Charlie to do anything for me.

I managed to get my sweats on, but as I took off my pajama shirt, I keeled over onto the bed, gasping in pain as another cramp ripped the inside of my stomach to shreds. I grabbed at my sheets, clutching them like a life support, trying desperately to get up. I wouldn't ask Charlie. I would not. I would not put him through that embarrassment.

"Fuck!" I screamed into my pillow. I gasped again, pounding my fists into the pillow like a child. I couldn't bring myself to move to put the shirt on, and it seemed the more time I waited for the pain to subside, the worse it got. I reached out the nightstand, blindly searching for my cell phone.

The line rang three times before the bright voice greeted me much too cheerily for this time of morning.

"Good morning, Bella!"

"Aliiice," I groaned out.

"Bella? What's wrong?" Panic filled her voice, and I wailed again as I felt the walls of my stomach being sawed in half. "Bella!"

"Alice," I whispered as tears began falling. "I'm out of Midol."

"What?" she asked, confused.

"It hurts and I don't have any Midol!" I sobbed.

It was quiet for a second, and if I hadn't been so blinded by pain, I might've been able to see the realization dawning on her pretty pixie face.

"Oh! Bella, I'll be there as soon as I can, okay? Is there anything else you want? Anything else you need? Ice cream? Coke? A cocktail?"

"Ben n Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie," I croaked out.

"On my way!"

Fifteen minutes later, I was curled into a pitiful ball on my bed, rocking back and forth as tears streamed steadily down my face. I heard the vague sound of the front door being opened, followed by Charlie confusedly agreeing to let Alice upstairs.

I only had to wait seconds before the pixie was in my room and at my side, hovering over me.

"Oh, Bella!" she exclaimed sadly. I squinted up at her, and her tiny hand swept the hair away from my face. "Here you go."

She shoved two little pills into my hand, along with a larger one that certainly wasn't just in the aisle.

"Vicodin," she explained solemnly. "When it gets really bad for me, Carlisle gives them to me. I have a nice little stash built up for these types of situations. They take _all_ the pain away," she smiled softly. I nodded in agreement, readily accepting the water she held out to me and downing the pills. I laid back down and waited for the pills to kick in, and Alice kicked off her shoes and pulled me close to her on the bed.

She rocked me softly, stroking me head and humming quietly as the pain slowly left my body. Her hands were cool against my hair and shoulders, but I relished the feeling of comfort she provided. She was doing for me what Renee should've been there to do, and I loved her that much more for it. As soon as I was mostly in the free and clear, I pulled back and looked into her bright face. She smiled at me, and I felt my eyelids droop slightly.

"You might be a little high," she winked, "but it's a fantastic feeling, especially coupled with _this_." She reached behind herself and lifted the plastic bag that housed my ice cream. I laughed, hugging her tightly.

"Thanks, Alice." She was right. My head felt like it was swimming, but it _was_fantastic. I felt heavy, and bendable, and I was certain that I'd be able to Moon Walk with great ease if I tried.

"Anytime!" She sat up, extracting a pint for me, and one for herself. She pulled two plastic spoons from the bag as well, and we sat cross-legged on the bed as we ripped off the seals. We ate in silence for a couple minutes. I savored each bite, swirling the chocolate on my tongue and feeling it melt. It was divine.

Alice frowned as she finally caught sight of my sweats. "Um... Bella," she said uncertainly. She poked a finger through one of the holes. "What," she wiggled her finger inside of it, causing me to chuckle, "are these? That bra is super hot, but _these_? Really?"

I laughed a little harder, snorting even, before I met her eyes again. Her face clearly showed her distaste for my current state of dress. She frowned and shook her head, wincing. I guess torn, maroon sweats weren't in vogue as of late.

"These," I held up a leg proudly, "are my gym pants from Phoenix." Her little nose wrinkled, and I laughed again. "I love them. I know, they've been massively abused, but they are just so comfy. Oh, come on, like you don't have period pants!"

She rolled her eyes and smirked at me. "Of course I do, but yoga pants are much more fashionable, didn't you know? I mean, holey sweats? Bella, please. I know!" she clapped her hands together. "Let's go shopping for _new_ period clothes!"

Now it was my turn to wince. Shopping was not at the top of my fun list. As much as I enjoyed fashion and looking good, I actually hated shopping. Ebay and Craigslist were probably two of the greatest friends I had ever had, since I didn't have to go into actual stores to acquire my goods. Looking at Alice now, though, her eyes sparkling and hopeful, I found I couldn't say no to her. Would I ever be able to say no to this girl? I sighed.

"Mmkay."

She squealed, and I winced again. "Sorry!" she laughed. "Okay, so, when do you want to go? I mean, obviously today is out of the question since you're... well... crampy and all, but how about one day after school this week? Because I don't really want to wait until next weekend, and I think Jasper and I have plans anyway, so..." she trailed off, tapping her chin thoughtfully. I ate another bite of fudge brownie, sighing in contentment. This girl was too much. She really did remind me a lot of Sam, though. Sam had been the same ball of energy, always eager and ready to go for anything. Man, did I miss home.

"Bella, why are you frowning?" Alice leaned towards me. She got a confused look on her face. "The drugs aren't wearing off all ready, are they? I have more, I brought extra for you if you need it." She began to reach down for her bag, but I halted her.

"No," I began wistfully. "It's just... I miss Phoenix, you know?" She nodded sympathetically, then tilted her head, waiting for me to continue. I didn't want to just start crying my eyes out about my old home, but I didn't think Alice would be offended if I did. She was so kind. Obviously, I mean, the girl showed up almost immediately after I'd called her crying, stock full of ice cream and drugs. Alice was easily my new best friend. I loved her all ready.

"It's kind of weird... starting over so late in the game, you know? I have to build up all these relationships again, I have to meet new people and create new friendships. I have to start over with classes, and hope that I'm on top of everything and not too far behind. I have to somehow build up a relationship with a father that I've never really known, and I had to leave behind my head case mother to fend for herself with her new husband. I left my best friend, my pseudo but not really boyfriend, who was really great with his hands, but, honestly, he was kind of a jerk, because he sort of had another girlfriend..."

Alice watched me speak with serious interest, but her eyebrows shot up when I mentioned Justin having another girlfriend. She didn't say anything though, letting me continue until I was completely done. I told her about Justin and Valerie, and how bad things were beginning to get right before I left.

"Was that why you left?"

"I don't know. I never thought about it like that... Mom and Phil were going to Florida, and I didn't want to go. I couldn't deal with the continuous movement that his job was going to require, and if I was going to have to start over, I was only going to do it once. I suppose that if they hadn't been leaving, I might've left anyways because of that. For a little while, at least. Val was real bitch. She wasn't technically his girlfriend at that point, but I still felt... like..." I shook my head angrily, not wanting to talk about it anymore. I didn't divulge everything to Alice; I hadn't even told Sam everything that had happened. I had no idea if she knew anything now that I was gone, but I'd be willing to bet that Val had told the entire school what a filthy whore Bella Swan was. The bitch.

"Well... you're here now. And I don't think I really have to say it, but you've all ready found yourself a new set of friends." I smiled gratefully at her, and her eyes sparkled again. "And... quite possibly a new _relationship_," she popped the p, nudging me and winking. I rolled my eyes, but giggled in spite of myself.

"Yeah... I don't know about that."

"Why not?"

"He's a little, I don't know... standoffish? He's kind of wishy-washy. Like he can't make up his mind. He pushes forward and then he pulls back again."

She looked thoughtful again, but this time I could see confliction on her face. She tapped her chin again, opening her mouth and shutting it again a couple of times before she slowly began again. "Edward... doesn't necessarily trust very easily. He's only had one real girlfriend, and that didn't work out very well. Every other girl he was with was only for the sex." She smiled apologetically at me and I shrugged. Only for the sex. So what. We'd all had those relationships, or were going to at some point, the way I figured it. It didn't bother me in the slightest that Edward used girls for sex.

Not one single bit.

Not at _all_.

"Anyway, he kind of keeps himself away from people, emotionally at least." She took a deep breath. "He didn't have... something happened last year that made him... sort of..." she stopped again, looking uncomfortable.

"You don't have to tell me. If he wants me to know, he can tell me." As curious as she was making me, I didn't want her to tell me anything that Edward himself wouldn't want me to know. I had my own secrets to keep, and I sure as hell wouldn't want anyone to know about them unless I had personally confided in them. I might be a bitch, but I know better than to be nosing around in shit that isn't mine to nose in.

She pursed her lips and then gave me a small, sad smile. "Yeah. He'll tell you. Anyway," she brightened. "Shopping?"

I laughed, glad to be moving to lighter-mostly lighter-topics. Shopping still sucked in my book, but it was better than spilling unwanted secrets.

***

Monday was... interesting.

Edward didn't speak to me the whole day, but he wasn't necessarily ignoring me. I was too blissed out on the extra Vicodin Alice had given me to really notice, and we didn't technically _have_to interact. At lunch, Jasper and I talked about politics, a floating and easy conversation carried over from history. Everyone else ignored us, though I did catch Edward watching intently a couple of times. I resisted the urge to flip him off and stick my tongue out at him.

During Bio, we were given a long, boring lecture on plant life and the effects of photosynthesis. Banner was kind of a drone, and I kept finding it hard to be interested in his lectures, regardless of how interesting the actual subject content may have been. Edward wrote and stared out the window most of the class, and jumped out of his seat immediately after it was over.

Tuesday was much the same, but I noticed him watching me more. I'd stared back with confidence, trying to keep a straight face as he'd glare and look off in another direction.

By Wednesday, I was beginning to get frustrated. I wore something mildly sexy, since I was no longer bloated and my period was finally completely over. Tight jeans, v-neck sweater. I caught both Emmett _and_ Jasper stealing glances at my chest. I wasn't surprised that Emmett looked, but definitely that Jasper did. I supposed he was only a man, and I couldn't get too upset-after all, I had worn this specifically to catch the eye of a boy. To my supreme disappointment, however, Edward only looked my way once, then actually _did_ignore me for the rest of the day.

Thursday was the day Alice and I had decided to go shopping.

Monday she had plans with Esme, her aunt, and Tuesday she had too much homework. Wednesday I was cooking dinner for Charlie, and Friday was technically the weekend, so Alice put her foot down at Thursday. She'd told me we were going to Port Angeles, because it was the only reasonable place to go shopping within 'fifty or so miles,' as she'd put it.

Rosalie was going, too, and the thought made me slightly uncomfortable. I wasn't afraid of Rosalie in the slightest, and I could tell by her reactions to me that this irritated her to no end. I relished the idea that I could make her uncomfortable. I didn't, however, enjoy being glared at constantly and scrutinized and hated for no reason at all. I had done nothing to her, and while I was quickly understanding that she was just a bitch in general, I was getting fed up with her prissy, over the top, queen-of-the-bitchdom attitude.

Edward wasn't in Bio again on Thursday. I rolled my eyes at his empty seat, hoping that he was sitting in a corner somewhere, having wicked fantasies about me. I looked hot today, too. My shirt was sheer, but it only hinted at what color bra I was wearing. I saw him steal a peak at me in the morning, and I for sure saw Emmett staring. Eric Yorkie had looked for a little too long in math, causing Emmett to threaten him with a meatball sandwich-in which Eric would be providing the meatballs. I adored Emmett more everyday.

When school ended, we all met in the parking lot. Not to anyone's surprise, Edward's car was gone. Alice shook her head and frowned at his parking space, absently kicking a rock.

"Okay, ladies, you play nice and have a good trip," Emmett joked, smiling and looking pointedly at Rosalie. She glared at him, shoving him off of her. "Babe, come on..." She walked over the driver's side and got in, Emmett rambling on about how he was just kidding about playing nice.

I had learned to tune him out during moments like these, because his blatant worship of her had annoyed me from the first day I met her. I often wondered if she were different when the two of them were alone, but I never asked him. There had been plenty of days when I'd seen him smirking smugly, clearly an indication that he was getting some on the regular. It was also possible that she'd always treated him like shit, and did so no matter where they were.

A third, less comforting possibility crept into the edge of my thoughts as well-what if she'd only started treating him this way because of _me_? I refused to be the reason Emmett was unhappy. If Rosalie continued to be such an asshole to him, I might have to take him for myself. I'd lick his wounds; I'd lick any part of him that he'd let me. Regardless of my past, I'd happily clean up whatever mess she made of him, and fuck anyone who judged me for it. Emmett was far too good to be suffering over Super Bitch Barbie.

Jasper pulled Alice close and kissed her as he said goodbye. When she began to pull away, he licked her lips much like he had done with her lip gloss. She giggled and slapped at him playfully, and I couldn't help but smile. They were so good together. So very different, but so much alike. They were so in tune with each other, but in a beautiful way. It kinda made me _wish_I wanted gag sometimes.

We got into Rosalie's car, and I couldn't help but notice her glaring at me from her rearview. I rolled my eyes. I was seriously getting fed up with her shit. As if it wasn't enough that Edward was avoiding me for no apparent fucking reason, I had this bitch constantly trying to stare me down. Alice acted oblivious to the whole thing, bouncing with excitement and chatting with both Rosalie and myself.

The entire car ride to Port Angeles was tense, and Alice was like the child delivering messages back and forth between mommy and daddy. Rosalie could be mommy. I'd happily have her as my ex-wife. I'd pay the alimony that'd supply her new tits when she tired of the ones she'd been born with, and I'd tap it with a vengeful pity fuck when she couldn't find a new man. I smirked as my train of thought got steadily more outrageous, blanching when Rosalie 'accidentally' swerved for no fucking reason, causing me to bang into the side of the vehicle.

"Cool your shit, mommy!" I yelled as I tried to right myself. Her face crossed between confusion and disgust, and Alice glared at her. Alice. Alice actually_glared_. I felt my eyes go wide.

"Never thought I'd see the day," I muttered when I'd finally settled in my seat again.

When we finally reached a densely shop-populated area, Rosalie quickly found a parking space, flipping off the man who yelled that he'd found it first and blared his horn at her. I had to admit, the broad had class. I liked her style sometimes.

I stretched as I got out of the vehicle. My legs were sore from the ride over, but I was certain my feet would be killing me by the end of the night. Something told me this was a full contact sport for Alice. She began rattling off the places she wanted to go, and I tried to block out this odd vision of her with a beret and those wands that generals smack at maps as they plot their campaign against foreign enemies.

When we entered the first shop-a clothing store with it's name written in fancy script-I felt completely out of my element. I knew I wouldn't have the funding to get anything here. Rosalie and Alice immediately split up, the former heading to the shoe section, the latter marching straight up the sales associate and tapping her on the shoulder. Alice demanded to know where all the petite clothes had gone, and the poor woman looked terrified. Alice tapped her foot twice before huffing and yelling at Rosalie.

"Rose, we're leaving!" Rosalie rolled her eyes, setting down a pair of kitten heels that she'd been eyeing. Alice blurred past me, grabbing my arm and wheeling me towards the door. I threw Rosalie a confused glance, and she replied with a slightly irritated shrug.

The next few shops went smoother. Alice and Rosalie each had several bags by the time we reached store number five, and Alice was constantly trying to buy me things I didn't need. As much as I appreciated her enthusiasm, I didn't _want_all of the things she was trying to gift me with.

Store number five was a lingerie shop. It had a plain store front, and I noticed no sign signaling what it was. It was really quaint, and I noticed both of the other girls' eyes glittering as we entered. It was only upon entering that I realized it specialized in lingerie. There were no racks, just shelves and chicly dressed mannequins that had no faces.

"Alice Brandon, you darling girl, come here!" I looked up to find the source of the voice-which had a touch of a foreign accent that I couldn't pin-and felt my jaw drop slightly. A gorgeous man of no more than twenty five stood before us, hugging Alice tightly and spinning her around. He had olive skin and dark brown eyes, and silky black hair that fell in curls around his eyes. His shoulders were broad, and it was very clear that the body housed within his tailored suit was probably well cut.

"Laurent!" Alice squealed as he whirled her around. She giggled when he set her down, and he smiled graciously at Rosalie, who returned his smile with her own. "Laurent, this is Bella," Alice gushed excitedly.

He raised an eyebrow and eyed me critically. I found myself blushing slightly under his scrutiny, but remained unmoved. He held out a hand to me, and I took it, accepting whatever sort of test this was going to be. His eyes roamed my body in a careful way, taking in every inch of me the way only a lover should. I held my chin high, and he reached our joined hands above my head to spin me. I moved uncomfortably on me feet, trying to figure out what was going on. Alice watched with excitement, and to my extreme surprise-not-Rosalie looked bored.

Finally, he released my hand. He looked deeply into my eyes for a moment before turning dramatically to Alice and snapping his fingers.

"Leah! 32 mid C, 24, 33!" He winked at me when my eyes when wide, then turned on his heel and disappeared behind an ornate purple curtain.

I gaped at Alice. What the fuck just happened?

She, in turn, looked simultaneously please and perplexed. "Bella, why didn't you tell me you had an odd bra size?" she frowned. "We should've come here first!"

Okay, now I was completely confused. What did my odd bra size have to do with anything? I mean, sure, it was hard to find a bra that fit perfectly, but considering the fact that I was still a growing girl (though I hopefully wouldn't be growing any_more_), I thought it was normal enough.

Before I could say any of this to Alice, however, the beautiful man known as Laurent had returned. He had a pretty, dark skinned girl in tow, and I assumed she was Leah. Both of their arms were overflowing with lingerie of varying shades, though I noticed a lot of blues in them.

He leaned into me, smiling knowingly, and holding out a silky, lacy bra. "Darling, midnight blue _is_your color." He tutted when I didn't take the garment right away, and Alice stepped forward, putting a reassuring hand on my back.

"I don't think Bella's ever owned lingerie before, much less custom lingerie, Laurent," she chirped. Her voice wasn't unkind, but it was filled with a certain pity. Because, you know, every sixteen year old girl just _has_to own some skanky silk shit. I was slightly offended, though. I'd owned lingerie... sort of. Pretty lacy bras from Burlington's counted, right?

Laurent's eyes widened at Alice's statement, then he frowned at me and shook his head with a much more obvious pity.

"Bella, my dear, it's time we changed that. Every woman should have a piece fitted exactly to her, even if it's just one." He winked at me, and I realized I still hadn't spoken. Rosalie stepped forward then, linking her arm with Laurent's and sending me a shrewd smile.

"I don't think _Bella_quite has the _class_," she purred out at him. He raised a brow at her.

"Me-_ow_," he began playfully. "Rosalie, we would've hated each other if we went to the same high school, I am most certain." They laughed this and he handed off the bra to Alice, who gathered up the rest of the under things from Leah. She shoved me behind the curtain that Laurent had previously disappeared behind, steering me into an elegant and simply designed dressing area.

The room was curtained with a billowing white fabric that I couldn't recognize, but I was certain it was expensive. Candles graced tall, silver holders haphazardly around the room, casting a soft, pleasant glow. Alice set everything down before turning to me and pulling my shirt up. When I didn't lift my arms to help her, she sighed.

"Laurent is the best, Bella. You have to trust me. You may spend your every day in underwear, but these," she waved a hand towards the pile of panties and things, "are _art_. Now I know you don't technically have someone in your life to share these with, but believe me when I say that these will do wonders for the time that you spend with your_self_."

I couldn't help it. I laughed in spite of how bizarre the situation had been, and finally relented. I allowed Alice to pull my shirt off, but shoved her hands away when she went for my jeans.

"Don't worry, Alice, I'll model everything," I laughed as I pushed her out of the billowing white changing area.

I could hear her tapping her foot outside as I poured over the items in front of me. I felt a thrill as I touched the various materials-silk, lace, satin. Thongs, g-strings, bras, corsets, high-waisted briefs, garter belts-even a teddy-stared back at me. I could never afford any of this, I was positive, but the idea of feeling something so smooth against my skin _was_alluring.

The thought of Edward viewing me in one of this pieces was equally alluring.

I shoved the thought from my mind as I slipped my jeans off and undressed. I extracted a midnight blue shelf bra and dug out a pair of high waisted bloomers with garter belts attached. I carefully slid myself into the delicate pieces of silk.

I felt my jaw drop when I turned to look into the full length mirror.

The... _woman_... staring back at me was... stunning. I'd never used that word to describe myself. Hot, fierce, sexy. These were adjectives I liked. For the first time in my life, I looked-_felt_-beautiful.

"Alice," I breathed out. Her tiny head popped into the curtain immediately, and a sly grin overtook her face.

Her eyes sparkled and her voice matched. "Bella, you look incredible." She nodded her head in complete approval, a glimmer of 'I told you so' shining in her eyes. I merely nodded, still struggling with the fact that it was _me_ who looked this good.

"Alice," I began slowly. "I can't afford any of this stuff..." I met her gaze in the mirror, and confusion clouded her features. I turned to face her, and she moved the rest of her body into the dressing room.

"Bella, Laurent is family. This is all going to be comped, of course."

I felt my eyes go wide, and she chuckled. "He's Carlisle's nephew... sort of. Well, he was married to one of his nieces briefly before he came out." Her eyes sparkled again as she giggled, and I felt myself responding in kind. "So, in a sense, he's my cousin. We've got the fashion thing in common, and he's been dressing and designing for Auntie Esme for years, so, naturally, I come to him for all my major needs. Of course, he specializes in lingerie specifically, because he understands a woman's need to feel sexy." She ran her hands down my sides as she said this, stopping to tug lightly on the straps of the garter belt.

"Besides, do you honestly think I'd let you leave _without_ this? Shit, girl, you look ridiculous. I can just imagine the look on Edward's face when you model this for_him_..."

I snorted. She glared up at me, but mischief was playing in her eyes.

"Oh, please. Like you don't want to." She had me there. Fuck yes I wanted to. If I made my own jaw drop in this getup, I could only imagine what would happen to him, regardless of his current treatment of me. I frowned at myself in the mirror. I'd have to ask Alice about that at some point. Now wasn't the time, as I was certain Rosalie and Laurent would be able to hear us. I wanted whatever was said between myself and Alice to be private.

She began rifling through the rest of the lingerie, picking out the pieces she found suitable and discarding the rest in a pile on the floor. She paused momentarily at the teddy, and I shook my head curtly at her. She grinned and held onto it anyway, sticking her tiny tongue out at me when I rolled my eyes.

"You can wear that out if you like," she chimed, nodding at my scantily clad form. I raised an eyebrow, and she laughed that tinkling laugh of hers. "Of course, you might attract a bit of attention, but, you know, every girl needs a good ogling every now and then."

Forty minutes later, after Laurent had taken down my exact measurements for later creations and promised me a wicked dress for the prom, the lingerie Alice had chosen for me (along with several more pieces Laurent insisted I had, as well as things Rosalie and Alice had picked for themselves) was being wrapped carefully in delicate tissue paper and boxed before being placed into simple and elegant black bags. When I'd attempted to thank Laurent for his kindness, he merely waved me off and made me promise to return before prom. I agreed with a smile, and he handed me a plain, glossy black business card. It read, in elegant silver script, his first name and then a phone number.

"That's my business cell, darling, if ever you should have any apparel needs. It's a direct line, and once I know your number, I'll always answer. You're a part of the family now, clearly." He winked and smirked with his last statement, and I caught Rosalie glowering at me. Alice, however, looked thrilled. She opened her arms wide and she and Laurent gently hugged and pecked each other on both cheeks before a torrent of French words began spilling out of both of them.

As we left, I was still a little unclear as to what the fuck had just happened, but the weight of my shopping bags gave me an ironically light feeling. I was pleased with the idea that I'd be able to share all of my naughty new presents with him at some point, because fuck, I was going to, and I didn't give a _shit_what Edward Cullen's deal was; I was going to have him eventually.

Alice walked between Rosalie and I, linking her arms with each of ours. As we trekked back to the car, I noticed a book store that looked intriguing, so I told the girls I'd meet up with them at the restaurant. I took my bags with me-neither of them had enough arms to carry my bags, too, and I honestly don't think Rosalie would've offered anyway.

I was disappointed in the little bookshop. It had a bunch of bullshit new age books about voodoo and witch craft-hocus pocus garbage. I was down with Gaia and Pagan rituals, but some of this crap was just ridiculous. The owner was a riot, though. He wore this sickly green muumuu thing and a scarf was wrapped around his head. I was pretty sure he was barefoot, because the place stunk of patchouli and feet. To each his own, I guess.

It had gotten dark shortly before we'd entered Laurent's, but I hadn't thought anything of it. As I left the bookshop, though, the unfamiliarity coupled with the darkness made me slightly uncomfortable. I realized that I couldn't remember where Alice had said we were eating, and as I turned on my heel to ask Voodoo Pagan patchouli guy where the most decadent restaurant in town was, I found his lights were all ready off.

I considered banging on his door, but I figured I could just wing it and search the place out on my own. I had been a girl scout once; I knew how to navigate.

As I walked up the street, I realized how... empty the town seemed. Perhaps it was just the part we were in, but it was really deserted. I was certain part of it was also because it was dinner time, on a Thursday. Most shops probably closed fairly early on weeknights, I reasoned.

I'd passed several darkened shops before I started to get uncomfortable again. I glanced behind me but didn't see anyone there, but I sped my pace up a little anyway. I was in a strange place; I had a right to be a little paranoid.

I wandered up the shop streets, still not finding the restaurant. I'd forgotten my phone in Rosalie's car, too, so that was a bust. Alice was probably buzzing with worry at this point. I'd seriously have to find a way to thank her for all the free shit I'd gotten today. I'd have to thank her again once it got me laid. This girl was going to be in for a major present. But what to get the pixie who clearly has everything she needs? And can obviously buy for herself what she _wants_?

A snapping noise and a low whistle broke my train of though, and I spun on instinct to face the root of the noise. I was immediately sorry I reacted. Three tall guys with big muscles-no, seriously _huge_-and not in an attractive way-were leering at me. I put on my best game face since there was no way I could just turn around and walk away.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?"

They chortled at me. _Fuck_. The closest guy, who had a pornstache and serial killer eyes, stepped forward and held out a hand to me. "Of course you can. What's in your bags pretty thing? Need help carryin' em?"

I fought the urge to grimace at his bad hair and cheesy line. "No, I'm quite all right, thanks." I was a big girl. They didn't need to know my real age. If they did, they'd probably like me more, and that was the last thing I needed.

"Aw, c'mon sugar," sneered the guy on the right. He would've been good looking in a classical sense if he weren't giving off perv vibes. I began mentally preparing myself for whatever was going to happen next. I tried to breathe, to calm myself enough to take mental snap shots of their faces. I'd seen Law and Order: SVU. I wasn't an idiot. Bad lines and dirty faces in dark alleys plus young girls equals disaster.

"No, really. I'm fantastic. I'm meeting my boyfriend, actually. He'll carry this shit for me." I gave them an award winning smile, aware of their roaming eyes and callous sneers. Shit. I was in so much trouble in this moment. I tried to remember the self-defense I'd learned in PE back in Phoenix, but Justin's fucking head kept coming into view. As pretty as he was, he couldn't help me right now.

"Heh, boyfriend." This was the one on the left. 'Doofus' pretty much summed him up. "Baby, your boyfriend can wait."

I laughed, trying to keep my nerves from entering my voice. I started backing up slowly, finally realizing that I'd had yet to move. "No, no," I said politely. The anxious edge was creeping into my voice, and the middle guy smirked at it. He knew. He knew how old I was, he knew there was no boyfriend, he knew I was lost. He fucking knew it all. Shit. Shit. _Shit._

My voice came out softer this time. "Really, I'd better get to him." My nerves were really getting to me now.

"Baby, your boyfriend can fucking _wait_." Middle guy lunged forward and he yanked one of the bags from me. He tossed it at guy on the right, stepping closer to me and reaching out to touch me. I froze. Everything I'd ever seen on TV, every defense mechanism I had, every instinct to flee-I lost it all. Fear completely dominated everything that I was, and I knew I was going to die.

Just my luck, it'd be in a fucking tiny town and it'd be these three dirtbags and I'd have my expensive-yet-free lingerie strewn about my naked and bruised body. Charlie would be thrilled.

Guy on the right ripped open one of the boxes within the bag, tossing tissue paper to the ground as he found the teddy. I fucking knew I shouldn't have let Alice grab it. He held it up, a menacing grin sliding across all of their faces in unison. Yeah, I was going to fucking die tonight.

"Sugar, you buy that just for me?" Middle guy crooned at me. He slid a dirty finger down my cheek, and I sneered at him on reflex. I closed my eyes as he brought his face closer to mine, and the rank smell of cheap whiskey infiltrated my nostrils. "You shouldn't have."

I tried not to gag. I tried not to pass out. I kept my eyes clenched shut when I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist and pull me close. I was fucking terrified, I couldn't move, and therefore, I was going to die.

_Fuck_.

* * *

**A/N: **Small cliffy. Sorry ducks. Don't worry-next chapter is nearly complete. On the bright side, we learned a couple of important things, and Bella and Alice finally got some bonding in--yay!

Now, the reason for the wait? I couldn't work this chapter out in a way that satisfied _me_. I'm hoping you dig it for what it is, if nothing else-filler and lady-bondage time. And not, you know, _that_kind of bondage. That's being saved for another story ;)

**Thoughts, comments, questions?**


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